IEQ-GA Member REHVA, in collaboration with Build Up EU, organized the webinar “How to operate and use building services during the COVID-19 crisis” (28/04/2020, 12.00 CET). This webinar explored with top experts key notions about indoor environments (Indoor Environmental Quality, … Continue reading
ASHRAE has developed proactive guidance to help address coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) concerns with respect to the operation and maintenance of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems.
The ASHRAE COVID-19 Preparedness Resources webpage, ashrae.org/COVID19, provides easily accessible resources from ASHRAE to building industry professionals.
On March 18th, 2020 AiCARR released on its website the document “Protocol for risk reduction of SARS-CoV2-19 diffusion in dealthcare facilities with the aid of air-conditioning and ventilation systems”. This new protocol is intended to complement the previous on for aspects relating to healthcare environments. The document is available for download here.
The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) has published recommendations for operating air conditioning and ventilation systems during the coronavirus. The document is available for download here
AiCARR has released its position on HVAC system operation during SARS-COVID-19 emergency. The document is available for download here.
For the October 2020 issue of the REHVA Journal, IEQ-GA will work together with REHVA to collect technical articles to create a special COVID-19 edition of the journal.
Please, submit your articles by email to nm@rehva.eu or jh@rehva.eu before the deadline 17 September 2020. Please remember to check the REHVA Journal guidelines for authors before submitting your article
On April 3, REHVA updated its COVID-19 guidance document with the following revisions and additions:
On the COVID-19 guidance webpage REHVA published also an updated collected bibliography, a Frequently Asked Questions section as well as the available translations of the documents.
ASHRAE announced a Society-wide effort to respond to the current global COVID-19 pandemic and provide guidance on how to ensure that buildings are prepared for future epidemics.
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force has been established to help deploy ASHRAE’s technical resources to address the challenges of the current pandemic and future epidemics as it relates to the effects of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems on disease transmission in healthcare facilities, the workplace, home, public and recreational environments. The task force will also provide recommendations for setting up temporary field hospitals in convention centers, arenas and indoor stadia to deal with surges.
The primary role of the task force is to maintain communication with members, industry partners, building owners, facility operators, government agencies and the general public…
>> Read more here: https://www.ashrae.org/about/news/2020/ashrae-epidemic-task-force-established
During the present global disease pandemic, a time which is unique to the world and its global communities, our risk assessments need to continue to be comprehensive, thorough, and appropriately vetted.
As stewards to occupational health and safety professionals around the globe, ACGIH® leadership feels compelled to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of our members, supporters, and the public at large. Therefore, on March 12th, ACGIH® made the difficult decision to cancel all large in-person events through at least the summer of 2020. Moreover, our decision to cancel in-person events also includes our involvement in large gatherings hosted by other organizations.
ACGIH® has been a contractual sponsor and exhibitor at the AIHce conference for many years. However, given current and reliably forecasted health and safety circumstances, ACGIH® has made the decision to not attend the 2020 AIHce in the near term at any level for in-person activities. We sincerely value our relationship with AIHA and have offered partnership collaboration in future endeavors – including support of an entirely virtual conference this year or other educational opportunities reinforced by social and physical distancing measures.
As we all learn to navigate our changing roles in the environmental health and safety community during this time, ACGIH® is here to support you in your professional endeavors. With the decision to cancel our in-person meetings, we have also begun development on new and exciting distance learning opportunities. ACGIH® is focused on enacting responsive, immediate actions that will serve environmental health and safety professionals looking to Define Your Future.
The HVAC systems in most non-medical buildings play only a small role in infectious disease transmission, including COVID-19. Knowledge is emerging about COVID-19, the virus that causes it (SARS-CoV-2), and how the disease spreads. Reasonable, but not certain, inferences about spread can be drawn from the SARS outbreak in 2003 (a virus genetically similar to SARS-CoV-2) and, to a lesser extent, from transmission of other viruses. Preliminary research has been recently released, due to the urgent need for information, but it is likely to take years to reach scientific consensus.
Even in the face of incomplete knowledge, it is critically important for all of us, especially those of us in positions of authority and influence, to exercise our collective responsibility to communicate and reinforce how personal choices about social distancing and hygiene affect the spread of this disease and its impact not just on ourselves, but on our societal systems and economy. The consequences of overwhelming the capacity of our health-care systems are enormous and potentially tragic. The sooner we “flatten the curve,” the sooner we can return to safer and normal economic and personal lives.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization), “The COVID-19 virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes….” Talking and breathing can also release droplets and particles. Droplets generally fall to the ground or other surfaces in about 1 m (3 ft), while particles (aka aerosols), behave more like a gas and can travel through the air for longer distances, where they can transmit to people and also settle on surfaces. The virus can be picked up by hands that touch contaminated surfaces (called fomite transmission) or be re-entrained into the air when disturbed on surfaces…
>> Read more here: https://www.ashrae.org/news/ashraejournal/guidance-for-building-operations-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
