HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES BAD FOR BUSINESS
A peep over the horizon at measures to mitigate the ef fects of poor air quality reveals some interesting developments, as Peter Dyment, Technical Manager at Camfil, explains.
As the business landscape becomes increasingly litigious, and with the advent of better technology such as indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring devices that alert people to pollution problems earlier, we will begin to see more test cases in court if people are injured or get chronic disease, or negligence is proved.
Where there is clear evidence that senior managers haven’t had a culture in place to look after the health and welfare of employees, therefore exposing them to undue risk, fines will inevitably increase and criminal proceedings are likely to be launched.
air pollution, in line with the risk they pose to public health and the environment, plus new local powers to take action in areas with an air pollution problem.
“These will support the creation of Clean Air Zones to lower emissions from all sources of air pollution, backed up with clear enforcement mechanisms.”
Sitting alongside three other government strategies – Industrial Strategy, Clean Growth Strategy and 25 Year Environment Plan – the clean air strategy sets a direction for the UK’s air quality policies and goals.
The responses that the government has received to a consultation on the strategy, which closed on August 14, 2018, will inform the final UK Clean Air Strategy and detailed National Air Pollution Control Programme to be published by March 2019.
The Clean Air Act will attribute legal responsibility to property owners and landlords to ensure that the building occupants are protected. Facilities managers will also find their roles changing because they will be expected to put the practical solutions in place so that their employers are not exposed to legal jeopardy.
The strategy comes at a good time because awareness of the impact of poor IAQ is growing rapidly. Parents, for example, are reminded through increasingly frequent and prominent newspaper articles that their children are being exposed to traffic air pollution by virtue of where their schools are located.
The government’s draft Clear Air Strategy outlines Whitehall’s future ambitions relating to reducing air pollution in the round, making our air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the economy.
The strategy explained: “New legislation will create a stronger and more coherent framework for action to tackle air pollution. This will be underpinned by new England-wide powers to control major sources of
And IAQ does not just impact on physical wellbeing, but also on mental health. There has been a great deal of publicity about the effects of air pollution on people’s ability to think clearly; poor IAQ can have a dramatic effect on the way people’s brains function, not just for children’s learning capability, but also the efficiency and productivity of people at work and their ability to perform to the required level.
www.camfil.co.uk
THREE CRITICAL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
• The new standards that define critical issues surrounding indoor air quality are:
• BS EN 16798-3: 2017 is an overarching framework that defines the required levels of filtration to achieve good IAQ.
It details the energy performance and
ventilation needs for non-residential buildings, outlining the performance requirements for ventilation and room-conditioning systems.
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• BS EN ISO 16890: 2016 is the particle filter standard, explaining the technical specifications, requirements and classification system for general ventilation based upon particulate matter efficiency.
• BS EN ISO 10121: 2013 is the molecular gas filter standard, which outlines test methods for assessing the performance of gas-phase air cleaning media and devices for general ventilation.
www.tomorrowshs.com
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