INDUSTRY COMMENT Demand for information on indoor pollution
There is still a wide knowledge gap about indoor air quality (IAQ) in the UK, but more people are starting to ask questions, according to a survey carried out for last week’s national Clean Air Day 2023 (CAD).
Experts taking part in an event hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) called for the government to be more ambitious with policy decisions and set tougher targets for minimising indoor particulate pollution. They reported that more studies had highlighted health
problems linked to ultra-fine particulate matter since last year’s CAD, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) had identified air pollution as the biggest environmental risk to health – blaming it for around one in every nine deaths annually. “Although air quality has gradually improved in recent times, air pollutant concentrations still exceed the 2005 WHO air quality guideline levels in many areas,” said Stuart Smith, commercial director of Zehnder Group UK. “This means they are above the levels associated with serious risks to public health.”
He said the building services industry was primarily focused on addressing levels of PM 10 and PM 2.5, but the picture created by measuring ultra-fine particulate matter, down to PM1, was “more frightening” as these tiny particles can enter the blood stream and reach the brain. They also have a larger surface area in proportion to their size so can carry significant amounts of contaminants including plastic and tiny metal fragments into the body. “We need to make more effort to understand the levels of ultra-fine particles in our air,” added Smith. “Unlike PM2.5,
PM1 is unregulated and monitoring technology is limited. We also need more research into the specific harm caused by PM1.”
A survey for CAD carried out by Zehnder found that 83%
of respondents wanted to know more about the air quality inside their homes, but while a sixth said they worried about outdoor pollution just one in ten had the same level of concern about the indoor threat.
Stronger sanctions to enforce work notifications coming into force for installers
Up to two years imprisonment is being added to the list of potential sanctions for technicians who persistently fail to correctly notify applicable installation work in accordance with building regulations.
The announcement is part of changes to the Building Safety Act to ensure building work is carried out to the appropriate standard. In response, OFTEC has published additional information to help installers ensure they understand their legal responsibilities.
The Building Regulations 2010 cover the construction and extension of buildings and many types of alteration projects, including the installation or replacement of a heating system, adding extra radiators to a heating system, or the installation or replacement of an oil tank.
There are three options to comply in England and Wales:
1. Submit a building notice and obtain approval from local authority building control
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2. Use of a private approved building inspector 3. Use a tradesperson registered with a competent person scheme
In response, Adrian Lightwood, OFTEC registration director, said: “Building Regulations are primarily there to safeguard consumers and ensure that work is carried out to a satisfactory standard. The framework in place to achieve this is tried and tested.
“Competent persons schemes provide a way for heating technicians to self-certify the installation work they carry out. While other routes to compliance are available, anyone who thinks it is acceptable to work outside the Building Control system by not getting their installation work certified is letting their customers down and, potentially, breaking the law.”
Local Authority Building Control (LABC) issued the following statement: A person who intends to carry out building work (which includes the provision or extension of a controlled service or fitting such as those governed by Part J – Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems) must apply to the local authority, unless other routes to notification specified in the building regulations, such as the competent person schemes, are used or required instead.
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