HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : NEW CODE OF PRACTICE ON LEGIONELLA
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The long-awaited new HSE Approved Code of Practice 'Legionnaires' disease: The control of legionella bacteria in water systems has now been published. We at Healthy Buildings International recommend that this is essential reading for all building managers, owners and occupants as it calls for a number of important changes to current practice, notably with more stringent attention to water hygiene, the testing of cooling towers and the management of all hot water systems, now including those with less than a 300-litre storage capacity.
If you do not have a detailed up-todate risk assessment for your water systems, including those with less than a 300-litre storage capacity, call Healthy Building International without delay. With the new ACoP now in place, all buildings should be urgently assessed so that procedures meet today's requirements. Cooling towers come under particular scrutiny. In 1996 alone, there were 6 legionella outbreaks associated with such towers, resulting in 34 diagnosed cases and 3 deaths. As a result, the HSE conducted a 2-year study of 600 towers, eventually issuing 22 prohibition notices and a further 153 improvement notices. Alarmingly, around one third of the companies surveyed had not identified a responsible person for the cooling water system, and had not undertaken a risk assessment, which we at Healthy Buildings International recommend.
CIBSE (The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) has published its guideline TMI3:2000 'Minimising the risk of Legionnaires: disease to coincide with the HSE's new
ACoP. Here is much practical advice on how to reduce the possibility of this bacterium inhabiting your building water systems, with guidance on identifying high risk areas.
Make sure you prevent this potentially fatal disease. The practical provisions in the latest publications will be incorporated into Healthy Buildings International's standard Legionella Risk Assessments and the Systems of Control for Legionellosis in order to give clients maximum protection.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : EXCELLENT ADVICE ON TAP
Help for vending machine operators from Healthy Buildings International: Over 400,000 machines dispense 8 million cups of coffee and 2 million cups of tea in the UK every day. The Automatic Vending Association's Guide to Good Hygiene Practice provides upto- date guidance on the standards of water quality to be expected from dispensed samples. The publication of this guide provides a timely reminder to operators to ensure they are checking the water quality and hygiene conditions of vending machines. Please contact us at Healthy Buildings International for more informatin.
Healthy Buildings International opens third USA Office
Last year, Healthy Buildings International opened its third North American based office, this time in Parsipanny, New Jersey. Healthy Buildings International's offices are now located close to a numberof key cities around the world, among them Washington, Sydney, New York,London and Los Angeles. The Healthy Buildings International network now embraces over 3,500 buildings, and more than 550 contract clients located in45 countries.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : POLISHING UP IAQ STANDARDS
For many years, Healthy Buildings International has worked with SC Johnson Wax, to ensure employees at its manufacturing plant in Frimley work in a healthy environment.
This has been achieved by monitoring working conditions, particularly air quality, within the office spaces. With the recent introduction of several new production lines, Johnson Wax took the prudent decision to monitor the level of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) within the air around the whole production floor. This procedure consisted of locating sampling pumps with sorbent tubes within the breathing zone at individual operating stations along the production line.
Individual VOC levels were measured over several hours and the information was then used to calculate potential exposure to combined VOCs.
To date, the results deliveded by Healthy Buildings International have shown that VOCs fall within acceptable limits. Johnson Wax however, is demonstrating its continued due diligence and commitment to the well-being of its staff. Paula Marshall, the Environment Officer, is delighted with the impact of the on-going monitoring. 'Johnson Wax is committed to the continuing safety of its employees and Healthy Buildings International's on-going monitoring has given us a clearer understanding of the impact that our manufacturing processes are having on the working environment."
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : 'WHAT'S THAT SMELL?'
Smells, odours, gases, pongs, what are they?
Where are they coming from?
Which are toxic and which are not?
Should you worry? Ask Healthy Buildings International.
Smells and odours speak for themselves, but even unpleasant smells do not necessarily indicate toxicity or presence at a high concentration. A safe way to be sure is to contact HBI, whose experts are highly familiar with gaseous chemicals that can accumulate in the working environment. Some of them have been extensively studied and have exposure limits recommended or applied by law. Similarly, certain Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) for which no limits have been set, such as those contained in perfumes, have many and distinctive odours. Because odours are so complex, enquiries regularly arrive at HBI, a company highly qualified to identify them and solve noxious problems. If you are concerned about any gaseous smell or odour, contact Healthy Buildings International. The chances are it is nothing to worry about, but far better safe than sorry.
Please talk to Healthy Buildings International for further guidance.
HEALTHY BUILDINGS INTERNATIONAL : IS YOUR DUCTWORK HYGIENIC?
Are your building managers fulfilling their duty of care to the occupants by regularly assessing the microbial activity in the air distribution ductwork? The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) has produced a really useful document, TM26:2000, to which Healthy Buildings International contributed. This will also prove to be invaluable when assessing the efficacy of any cleaning works undertaken. TM26 now forms part of a combined package known as the 'Ventilation Tool Kit', an extremely comprehensive collection of literature for anyone involved with ventilation hygiene. Ask, too, about the launch of the Healthy Buildings International 'TM26 Building Microbiological Evaluation Service'.This service is based directly upon the recommended protocols outlined in the CIBSE TM26.
For further details of any of our services, please contact: Healthy Buildings International at any of our offices as shown below.
| Healthy Buildings International Ltd (UK Head Office) 229 Hyde End Road Spencers Wood Berkshire RG7 1BU United Kingdom Tel: (0118) 988 9999 Fax: (0118) 988 5599 email: info@hbi.co.uk directions: download map: multimap |
Healthy Buildings International (UK North) Monckton Road Wakefield Yorkshire WF2 7AS United Kingdom Tel: (01924) 888 166 Fax: (01924) 332 334 email: info@hbi.co.uk directions: download map: multimap |
| Healthy Buildings International Ireland (Belfast) Unit 16 Laganside Studios Ravenhill Road Belfast BT6 8AW Tel: (028)90 738777 Fax: (028)90 732777 email: info@hbi.ie www: http://www.hbi.ie |
Healthy Buildings International (Scotland) Suite 220 Claymore House 145 Kilmarnock Road Glasgow G41 3JA United Kingdom Tel: (0141) 571 2967 Fax: (0141) 6327726 email: info@hbi.co.uk |
| Healthy Buildings International USA Headquarters 9401 Mathy Drive Fairfax, Virginia 22031-5311 Tel: (703) 323 4400 Fax: (703) 323 4440 email: hbi@hbiamerica.com www:http://www.hbiamerica.com |
Healthy Buildings International USA Western Region 25 Mauchly, Suite 314 Irvine, CA 92618 Tel: (949) 450 1111 Fax: (949) 450 1120 email: hbiwest@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
| Healthy Buildings International USA Mid Atlantic Region 1055 Parsippany Boulevard, Suite 102 Parsippany, NJ 07054 Tel: (973) 394 1330 Fax: (973) 394 1331 email: hbiatlantic@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
Healthy Buildings International USA New England Region 3 Baldwin Green Common Suite 201 Woburn, Massachusetts 01801 Tel: (781) 932 6800 Fax: (781) 932 5995 email: dtyler@hbiamerica.com www: http://www.hbiamerica.com |
| Healthy Buildings International Australia 7/33 Ryde Road Pymble NSW 2073 Australia Tel: (02) 9880 2744 Fax: (02) 9880 2766 email: hbi@hbi.com.au www : http://www.hbi.com.au |
Healthy Buildings International Dublin Unit 10/11 Santry Hall Industrial Estate Dublin 9 Ireland Tel: 00353 1 8623794 Fax: 00353 1 8621680 email: info@hbi.ie www: http://www.hbi.ie |
