COVID-19: Changing The Way We Think About Air Quality In The Workplace

9/16/2020 (Permalink)

Rarely discussed and usually taken for granted, Indoor Air Quality (I.A.Q.) has now become the new IT topic in the HVAC/facilities management world. Like most of us pre-COVID we took the indoor air we breathed for granted in the building we worked in. Most just wanted it cooled or heated depending on the ever-changing Tennessee weather. I was no different. I never really thought about how the building HVAC system worked or how the ventilation was set up allowing the building to “breathe properly.” You heard me…the buildings are designed to breathe and keep our indoor air environment healthy and efficient.

Like the yearly physical we schedule with our doctors to maintain a plan and monitor our body and health, HVAC manufacturers, service companies and property managers are recognizing the need to acknowledge and improve the Indoor Air Quality within the buildings we presently work in and will be returning to. Research is rapidly being conducted to see if COVID-19 can be spread through our shared air space. Leading companies in the HVAC world are rushing to develop solutions for this ever-changing IT topic. Many service companies have relied on NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) for advice on how to maintain equipment and cleaning standards. Now, property managers and facility owners are feeling the need to act quickly and come up with solutions and remedies to retrofit the workspaces. Below I have listed some of the latest alternatives and ideas the HVAC manufacturers are suggesting prior to the re-opening:

• Upgrading heating and ventilation systems

• Extra heavy-duty filters 

• UV-C - Ultraviolet light systems in the ductwork

• Electrically charged filtration 

• Air-monitoring sensors 

• Portable filter machines with HEPA filtration

• Proper cleaning of the ductwork and HVAC coils

These are just a few examples to help with the ventilation and air circulation in work areas. As September is Emergency Preparedness Month, it’s important to always be thinking ahead in these situations and seeing what we can do to make sure our workspaces and offices are as safe as possible.

- Marty Sexton, Marketing and Sales Specialist at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville