Covid-19 is not going anywhere. With new strains appearing consistently, we still need to be on guard. Fortunately a huge amount of people have had at least their first vaccine, with this false sense of complete security, now would be a good time to be wary.
A company’s most important asset is its people and with strict rules still in place in the office, Covid has brought to light the importance of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Indoor Air Quality
Key features:
- IAQ’s benefits.
- How it works.
- How it will improve your office space.
It is not just Covid that is highly dangerous and spread via aerosols in the air. The World Health Organisation estimates that Tuberculosis infects 1.8 billion people. But in 2020, 10 million people fell ill with TB and out of those infections, 1.4 million people died. And in 2024, an estimated 10.7 million people.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) have a health target in place to end the TB epidemic by 2030. TB is just one of many bacteria and viruses that spread easily, like Covid. However, they all share one thing: UV-C destroys them on contact!
How it works
The use of UV-C has been around for many years, with newspapers now writing about the proper use of UV-C to inactivate pathogens that are spread quickly indoors.
There appear to be different types of UV-C installations that will keep the office safe:
- Upper Room Ultra-Violet Germicidal Irradiation
- In-Duct Heating Ventilation
- HVAC systems
- Mobile/Portable devices
All four can inactivate pathogens in seconds. You can program the robot to drive around the office while safely emitting UV-C to destroy pathogens on surfaces and in the surrounding air. Upper Room UVGI can be used for destroying pathogens that rise to the upper air volume of the room and is safe to use while people are in the office. Lighting can be installed where you change out the existing light fittings for versions that include UV-C which come on automatically when the building is empty. Finally, within HVAC systems, where the UV-C is installed next to the cooling coils in both AHUs and FCUs.
How it will improve your office space
All these options will make the office a safer place to work. It shows employees that their employer is taking their health and wellbeing seriously. It is not a one way street as the employer will benefit from improving IAQ.
How much does it cost each time someone calls in sick?
What about in the afternoon when staff are feeling tired and aren’t as focused or the productivity level drops off?
I am confident that one of the largest outgoings for a business would be the running costs for their HVAC system. The robot on the other hand is more cost effective by 20-30 percent. Please be aware of cheap UV-C products that can be purchased online and speak to the professionals as installation needs to be done correctly.
IAQ is getting a lot more interest in the last year, do not miss out on improving your office space with IAQ too.
If you have a project you’d like to discuss, please contact us.