BSEE
Gary Nicholls, managing director of duct and legionella risk specialists Swiftclean, said the hospitality sector had been hit particularly hard, but cutting back on ventilation hygiene could increase the risk of fires being spread by poorly maintained kitchen grease extract systems.
Building managers will have to pay close attention to the cleanliness of their ventilation systems in the wake of the Covid 19 lockdown, according to a group of industry experts.
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'Keep Indoor Places Well Ventilated' – This is one of the key principles cited in the UK Government’s COVID19 return to work strategy1 published on 11 May 2020.
he strategy also states ‘Evidence suggests that the virus is less likely to be passed on in well- ventilated buildings and outdoors’ and advises to ‘Use external extractor fans to keep spaces well ventilated and make sure that ventilation systems are set to maximise the fresh air flow rate’. This guidance is designed to ensure time spent in your workplace is as safe as possible and is a clear demonstration of how vital effective ventilation is. Vent-Axia has welcomed this guidance since the company has seen first-hand how ventilation has helped fight the virus. This latest guidance echoes the statement by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Government’s COVID-19 press briefing on 29 April 2020 where he said, “There is a definite truism across all of the science literature, that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses.”
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Jenny Smith, Head of Marketing at VentAxia
For businesses the Government has also issued sector specific guidance for working safely during COVID-19. All types of businesses can use these guidelines to make sure their premises are ‘COVID-19 secure’. To meet their duty of care, employers need to reduce workplace risk to the lowest reasonably practical level by taking preventive measures. The guidance therefore lists steps to take to assess and manage the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace. Once companies have complied with the guidance, they can display a notice
26 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JULY 2020
s buildings start to re-open, the importance of complying with industry standards, keeping
comprehensive records and using competent companies to carry out ventilation hygiene work will take on even greater significance due to the problems created by the coronavirus, the group told a webinar hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
As part of efforts to cut costs in the wake of the disruption, some businesses may look to reduce the frequency of cleaning, but this should only be done in a planned way, the Association said.
“We need to keep grease build up below 200 microns to minimise risk,” said Nicholls. “Owners should look at how frequently they were having systems cleaned before the lockdown and compare that with their expected turnover.” He said it was vital that any changes were supported by accurate records to satisfy fire risk assessors and insurance companies.
Investigations
“In many fire investigations, there is a complete lack of adequate post- clean documentation to prove if the system had been cleaned properly,” said Nicholls. BESA publishes the ventilation hygiene industry guide to good practice TR19 – and recently added a specification aimed specifically at kitchen extract cleaning. ‘TR19 Grease’ includes a schedule explaining the link between the frequencies of cleaning required and the average daily build-up of deposits in the extract system to help manage fire risks.
The chair of BESA’s Ventilation Hygiene group told the webinar that building managers should also take similar care of their supply air ventilation systems as occupancy levels start to rise again.
George Friend said there was no direct link established between the spread of the coronavirus and the cleanliness of ventilation, but that should not mean systems are not cleaned. Current guidance from the industry and healthcare experts is to provide maximum levels of outside air and avoid recirculation to protect against the virus.
“Building managers should consider whether their current ventilation strategy is still fit for purpose. Many are changing layouts and having new partitions installed to maintain social distancing, which will have an impact on airflows around the occupied spaces.”
TR19 was revised in 2013 to mirror the international standard BS EN 15780 that was published in 2011 and established safe levels of ventilation hygiene for all types of buildings. HTM 03-01 also sets parameters for hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Buildings are separated into low, medium and high-risk categories in the
standard.TR19 provides the methodology for carrying out hygiene work in line with the standards and for keeping comprehensive, accurate records of cleaning. It also links to the
VENTILATION Greater focus on ventilation hygiene after lockdown
Ventilation Hygiene Elite (VHE) scheme, which is operated by the Association’s certification arm BESCA. This is a self-certification system allowing firms to demonstrate compliance and competence and is the only way for firms to prove they are carrying out work in line with TR19.
Competence
“There is now much greater focus on the whole area of competence and compliance in light of the changes coming through the Hackitt Review,” said Duncan Sibbald, head of certification at BESA. “Companies will have to provide proper evidence of their competence under the new regulatory regime.
“The VHE scheme was developed by the industry for the industry and allows firms to self-certify and provide reassurance to the client that their system has been cleaned to the right standard.”
“Ventilation hygiene can often seem like an uphill battle because so many building owners just want a certificate and don’t really care about the levels of competence required, but the greater focus on building safety is changing that now,” he added. “The levels of risk are better understood and this scheme creates a level playing field where everyone must demonstrate they are working to the same robust level of compliance.”
Ventilation key to Return to Work safety
to confirm their business is COVID-19 secure. Ventilation plays a critical part in managing transmission risk and so is a vital consideration during this process, with the document stating that businesses should check whether a ventilation system needs to be serviced or adjusted before reopening.
“A raft of global scientific evidence has confirmed aerosol transmission, making it a higher risk to be inside a building than outside. As the lockdown begins to ease with more people going back to work businesses need to prepare by ensuring their ventilation system is working. To lower the risk of COVID- 19 transmission inside a building or home it is vital to increase airflow and ventilate effectively. Now is the time to check ventilation to ensure there is enough airflow to dilute the virus in the air and improve indoor air quality. Ventilating for longer and opting for ventilation with higher airflow volumes will help reduce the risk,” said Jenny Smith, Head of Marketing at Vent-Axia.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has recently issued two documents to help building managers/owners and operators for preparing for an ease in lockdown. The first guide ‘CIBSE COVID-19 Emerging from Lockdown: Safely Re-occupying Buildings’ advises high levels of ventilation in all occupied areas of the building. “To minimise the risk of airborne transmission it is important to maintain higher ventilation rates and to consider increasing ventilation rates in toilets and circulation spaces such as stairwells.”
While CIBSE’s second document ‘CIBSE COVID-19 Ventilation Guidance’ gives detailed guidance for building managers/operators to minimise the risks of airborne transmission of COVID-19. Here the overarching advice is to increase the air supply and exhaust ventilation, supplying as much outside air as is reasonably possible to dilute and remove the virus as much as possible. More detailed advice includes: extending the operation times of supply and extract mechanical ventilation systems; start ventilation at nominal speed at least 2 hours before the building usage time and switch to lower speed 2 hours after the building usage time; in demand- controlled ventilation systems changing the CO2 setpoint to lower to maintain operation at nominal speed; and to keep ventilation on 24/7 with lower ventilation rates when people are absent. CIBSE also directs readers to refer to manufacturer’s guidance for help.
For commercial buildings there are a number of ventilation options for businesses keen to improve their ventilation and indoor air quality. For instance our Sentinel Totus² Demand Energy Recovery Ventilation system (D-ERV), offers an effective solution to both ensure good ventilation and so improved IAQ, plus it offers a range of sensors, such as CO2, PIR occupancy detection, humidity or temperature which are employed to determine the room’s air quality, adjusting the ventilation requirements automatically and managing the system’s ventilation rates accordingly. Meanwhile, our ultra slim and energy efficient Slimpak EC single in-line box fans are ideal for offices, and our T- Series commercial fan offers high performance ventilation with low running costs and rugged reliability, making it suitable for a wide range of sectors including offices and pubs. With restaurants potentially opening up in July, our EKF kitchen box fan offers high performance ventilation at low running costs.
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