INDUSTRY INSIGHT: COVID-19


Ventilation deep clean defence


The importance o p


The importance of h giene best practice in too familiar in the G


yg p Swiftclean, outlines a few sensible pr


l as people. Gary Nichol n


too familiar in the last few weeks. However we should be applying this to ventilation systems, as well as people. Gary Nicholls, managing director of ductwork hygiene and legionella risk experts Swiftclean, outlines a few sensible precautions we can take to ensure a healthier building


of hygiene best practice in combating the spread of coronavirus has become al elastfewweeks.However, managing d au


ncombatingthespreadogp of coronavirus has becom r,we should be applying director of ductwork h gie utions we can take to ens


This is a r yet about th


ure a healthier building ene and legionella risk ex gthistoventilationsystem


meall ms,


real concern to us in the current crisi s.We do not understand enough he transfer and spread of this disease


e, but we are clear that the most


vulnerable gr oups include those with asthma and other respiratory problems, which can b air quality a systems, so


and therefore good health and wellbe be made worse by poor air quality. In


ing, we need clean ventilation order to promote good indoor


othecleaningoftheventilationsystemi


now be a high priority for ev ery building manager. The TR19


9compliantcleanisexcellentundern the moment


Gary Nicholls, managing director of Swiftclean


N


everyone safer at home? vacating the office and ot entirely understandable. hygiene in one imp are as healthy as ow,more than eve


In local housing setting should be giving some se system itself, in order to e the ventilation system is t


her workplaces in favour of working In order to limit the spread of this ne portant area – the ventilation system possible. Yet many property manager er, it is important to ensure that our in


gs which rely on a mechanical ventila erious thought to the cleanliness of th


from home. But is willness,weare .This oversight is rs are overlooking ndoor environments


he ventilation ation system, we


ensure good indoor air quality. Thew hole purpose of to drawin fresher air from outside an


nd to expel staler


air from inside. If we wish to circulate clean air, logic demands that we should be using clean ventilation du supply in order to promot


is easy for air to become stale or laden with indoor pollutants such as cleaning products, which can exacerbate existing respiratory conditions such as asthma. Sadly, as ductwork exp ventilation systems are far


perts we are all too aware that many of our older a from hygienically clean. Before the


wly installed ductworkwas compliantl therewas no clear understanding ofw


al use. Sadly, the credit crunch of 200 y,


uctwork. Successful self-isolation wil lrequireacleanair te good health. In our modern tightly sealed buildings, it


m m naccordancewith TR19should normal circumstances, but, at


t,we strongly recommend a deep clean of the system using medical disinfectant known to attack and destro y almost all known viruses and bacteria. This chemic extra cost, o


cleanliness of your ventilation system.


afoggingpr Treatmen


v


rocess to sanitise all interior surfaces nt with this chemical solution can, inc


hnotingthatinresidentialhousingw


s, hard and soft, and to eliminate identally, also be applied through


the coronavirus from any rooms, or even entire b a suspected or confirmed case. It is worth


be accommodating NHS staff and other front-lin essential wo accommoda


is always imperative. We also s


maintenanc


orkers are highly paid, so are, ironica ation served by communal ventilation


strongly recommend not letting up on


with multiple dwellings, we could buildings, in which there has been


nsystems, thecleanlinessofwhich ally, quite likely to live in rented eworkers. Sadly, notallour


ce such as ACoP L8 legionella prevention, especially in housing


nessentialpreventative t


situations.We are relying heavily on handwashing to keep people safe, so we must ensure that the water is safe and free from legionella bacteria. Legionnaire’s Disease, caused by legionella ba


acteria, is also a flu-like illness


which poses a potentially lethal thr eat to those with underlying medical conditions. In fact, the r around 12% manage to a


rate of fatalities among thosewho con %-greater, atthetimeofwriting, than avoid coronavirus only to fall prey to a


esecondeditionof


TR/19, the leading guidance document on ventilation hy giene issued by the BESA, came into force in 2013, t itwas to ensure that new commissioning and actua ventilation ductwork clea As a result, there are fa


aning became one of the first casualti es of the cutbacks. ar too many ventilation systems in ou


and workplaces which have either not been cleaned for over a decade – or which have never been properly cleaned at all.


8alsomeantthat ly clean before whose responsibility


ur multiple dwellings Disease, you will certainly be no better off. Once the crisis is over and people are safe to re r turn towork, youwill also need


to give a lot of thought to legionella prevention. If water outlets such as toilets, taps and showers have been idle for some time d


due to lack of use, you will need


to ensure that you flush the system thoroughly to provide a supply of fresh, clean, safe water for returning workers. Ahealthie


er building provides a healthier quali ty of both air andwater – both of which are essential to our good health. Let’s not overlook the hygiene of our air and water while we do our best to turn the tide on coronavirus.


an outbreak of Legionnaire’s nthetollfromcoronavirus. Ifyou ntract Legionnaire’s Disease is


cal clean can be performed at the sa me time as TR19 cleaning at little or can be carried out on its own if you are at all concerned about the


www.heatingandventilating.net


April 2020


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