Get Your Commercial Air Conditioning and Ventilation Systems Ready for a Safe Return to Work

When bringing staff back into the work premises, both environmental and employee health and safety measures need to be addressed, using government guidelines and a building reoccupation risk assessment to guide the process.

Businesses that have been closed or partly closed during lockdown, that are about to return to work, need to consider a number of issues that affect the safety of everyone entering the building. Office ventilation and air conditioning is a key area to consider.

Building ventilation will always play a crucial role in a healthy building environment, as it is responsible for bringing in a steady stream of outside air, while getting rid of stale air containing bioeffluents and airborne pollutants, amongst others. Ensuring adequate ventilation is also important for the dilution of airborne pathogens; there is strong existing evidence indicating that occupants of poorly ventilated rooms are more at risk of catching an illness than in well-ventilated environments.

Although proving means of transmission during a virus outbreak is difficult, a number of recent studies are showing evidence of indirect contact, possibly linked to airborne spread, and have also connected airflow patterns to cases of infection.

In the case of workplaces, particular attention is being paid to high occupancy areas, to spaces with limited fresh air, and to areas where people generate a lot of aerosols (through talking, coughing, sneezing or shouting). Given the rising evidence suggesting airborne transmission may be a mode of infection, it is important to ensure ventilation is operating appropriately to protect occupants of your building.