BSEE
healthcare facility in the UK in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
Air cleaning should become standard pracce aer pandemic C
lean air technologies and strategies should be adopted by every
Information is emerging rapidly about how the coronavirus can be spread around buildings leading indoor air quality (IAQ) experts to agree on the need for more proactive measures to tackle airborne contaminants and to manage air flows to keep patients and healthcare workers safe. Speaking during BESA’s latest daily COVID-19 update webinar, air cleaning expert Richard Greenwood of technology firm Radic8 said the ventilation industry had a crucial role to play both during and after the pandemic.
“We know the virus is airborne and the distance it travels depends completely on the air flow,” said Greenwood. “We need to combine ventilation strategies with plug and play clean air technologies to get on top of the threat. Airflow direction is key as we need to pull the air away from patients and those treating them.”
Radic8 was founded in South Korea in the wake of the 2004 SARS epidemic and is benefitting from the extensive experience of that country, which has been one of the most successful in suppressing the spread of COVID-19. Air cleaning systems are standard practice in every healthcare facility in South Korea.
The company also sent technology to hospitals in Wuhan – the Chinese city where the virus first emerged – in the early days of the outbreak.
Purification
Greenwood told the BESA webinar that a single sneeze can release up to 40,000 virus laden droplets into the air and each droplet can travel more than eight metres at a speed of 320 km/hr. The virus can remain airborne for up to three hours. Wearing masks and washing hands will help control the spread, but are not enough on their own and need to be supported by air purification and sterilisation devices, he said. Filtration also plays an important role, but HEPA filters are not designed to capture virus-sized particles and need to be supplemented by more rigorous cleaning regimes, according to Mr Greenwood.
“We now have evidence that microbial contaminants will grow on filters in 14 days and these either
need to be tackled by more regular filter changes or by increased cleaning,” he said. “UV radiation is one option for killing the microbes.” Swab testing will be needed to gauge the level of contamination building up inside ductwork and air handling units that might then be spread around occupied spaces, but Mr Greenwood also called for a wholesale change to cleaning strategies.
“A lot of people are using very harsh chemicals, which has a knock- on effect for allergic conditions like asthma,” he told the BESA webinar. “We need to increase our use of probiotics, which work on the principle of bringing indoor spaces to life rather than just killing everything – both good and bad.” For more information about the BESA daily webinars go to:
www.theBESA.com/covid19
NEWS INBRIEF
Key manufacturing sector employers and trade unions tell government to ‘Let us help’
The Chemical Industries Association and the trade unions who work in the UK chemical sector are united in their efforts to do all that is possible to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic and mitigate the social and economic impact.
The Government needs to ensure that the workers employed in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors can get to work where they are needed for essential operations and that the industry’s raw material supplies and logistics remain intact.
“Business as usual” should not be the aim, says CIBSE president
ncoming CIBSE president Stuart MacPherson made an appeal for net carbon standards and an ambitious programme to refurbish existing buildings in his inaugural address this week. Delivering his speech via video, he called for targeted investment in low carbon solutions to drive recovery from the devastation of the Coronavirus pandemic.
I
Citing the experience of previous economic shocks, MacPherson suggested that the natural reaction of governments when faced with the urgent need to stimulate economies was “to de-regulate and delay further change for fear of inhibiting investment. This is one time where this must not happen.”
Priva welcomes leadership from CIBSE on reoccupaon of buildings
T
he publication of clear guidance from the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) on the measures that must be taken prior to the re-occupation of buildings, will give building owners a clear roadmap for the months ahead - says Priva UK.
As concern and fear grows regarding the risks associated with the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus, CIBSE’s advice is “to increase ventilation as much as possible, increasing the flow of outside air and preventing any pockets of stagnant air. Recirculation of air within buildings should be avoided to reduce the risk of transmission”. CIBSE also warns that this increased demand for recirculation of air will - very likely - result in an increase in energy bills. Gavin Holvey, sales manager Priva UK & Ireland, believes that the building services industry will play a central role in helping businesses adapt to the ‘new normal’. “Right now, all of us, whether we are employers, building owners, building engineers or FMs - are desperately seeking clarity on how to make our buildings safe and fit for purpose. Strong leadership and guidance is needed - and these new publications from CIBSE are a vital starting point.”
Priva shares CIBSE’s view that the pathway to making buildings safe for returners to work requires specialist expertise.
“The role played by FMs and building engineers is often overlooked. But we must now understand that these people are critical to our economy - without them, and their specialist skills - we simply can’t get our built environment into a shape where people can feel safe in buildings,” comments Gavin Holvey.
“Calculating the appropriate volume of outside air, and reconfiguring existing air handling systems to provide it, needs expertise,” says the launch information from CIBSE. As such, its engineers are finding that their skills are suddenly very much in demand. As well as ventilation and air conditioning, the CIBSE guidance also reminds building owners and managers that checks will be required on water systems - which will need flushing - and lifts and escalators that have been idle for weeks. Emergency systems also need to be checked and new regimes established for working and recreational spaces.
“There is an opportunity to invest in structural changes, such as clean technologies and the education and training of the workforce who will implement the changes that will bring about reductions in emissions as economic growth returns.
“It is going to require a step change. We need to be designing all new buildings to net zero carbon standards and embark on a much more ambitious programme of refurbishment of existing buildings, combined with ways of de-carbonising the energy supply to those buildings.”
MacPherson went on to cite specific areas of research and development where building services engineers are leading the field. District heating and energy from waste, demand management, realistic building performance modelling and energy infrastructure resilience were some of the issues highlighted.
In his address, the new CIBSE President paid tribute to the commitment of the CIBSE community of staff and volunteers who continue to support its membership and society at large during the Covid-19 crisis. He praised the speed at which the organisation’s central role of spreading information and learning had migrated into an online environment, and the valuable consultative role CIBSE members are providing to the Construction Industry Task Force and Royal Academy of Engineering in government advisory work. Using CIBSE’s response to the crisis as an example, MacPherson speculated that this seismic change gives everyone, at both personal and government level, an opportunity to re-evaluate our behaviours. The potential is there to create working environments that are better than they were before – returning to business as usual should not be the limit of our ambition. Stuart MacPherson succeeds Professor Lynne Jack as CIBSE President and will, in turn, be succeeded by Kevin Kelly, CIBSE President Elect. His address was delivered on 5 May 2020, via video-link and is available to watch at
www.cibse.org/president
4 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JUNE 2020
Chemical businesses and trade unions rightly commit to the highest standards of health & safety including Government instructions and advice on COVID-19. Chemical businesses and trade unions are working together to support the national need in tackling the pandemic.
Supporng crical sectors through
online learning As part of a broader effort to support critical sectors at this time, steam systems specialist Spirax Sarco is running a series of free boilerhouse safety webinars for operators in critical sectors such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage.
Many teams are under increased pressure to keep steam flowing, either to ensure a hospital is able to keep functioning or guaranteeing an efficient food production line. Consequently, it is likely they are reliant on support staff for assistance, who may require additional training.
Legislative requirements remain in force, meaning boilers still need to be operated within the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR 2000) Regulation 11 Operation, and in accordance with the Guidance on Safe
Operation of Steam Boilers BG01.
Spirax Sarco’s online courses cover a number of critical safety pointers relating to current legislation, as well as the required testing regimes relating to chemical boiler treatment.
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.bsee.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
