The importance of a deep ventilation system clean: COVID-19

At System Hygienics Clean Air is Our Business, and there have been fewer periods in recent history where the supply of clean, uncontaminated air has been of higher importance.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected so many people around the world, sending both our personal and business lives into somewhat of a tail-spin. Good hygiene practices have taken centre stage and we are now more aware than ever of the importance of effective hand washing and the disinfection of the many surfaces which surround us. The surfaces we see may be easy to maintain in a clean and safe state, but what about those which are hidden from sight - what about the internal surfaces of ventilation and ductwork?

The very nature of a ventilation system means that it is constantly removing contaminated air, sometimes from areas where the presence of COVID-19 is a real possibility. But what can be done to ensure that these systems aren’t harbouring the virus and cross contaminating the air which passes through them?

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) have issued professional guidance in their COVID-19 and Air Conditioning Systems Advice Note, in which they say:

“Any airborne contamination can be minimised, if not eliminated, by proper and effective filtration and regular cleaning and maintenance of ventilation systems”

At System Hygienics, we have been offering this service to a high standard for many years, assisting our clients – be they hospitals, health authorities, building managers or landlords – to minimise the risk of cross infection from their ventilation and ductwork and protect those visiting and working within their establishments. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a huge increase in work from NHS hospitals in particular.

At the beginning of April we carried out this work at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. They reached out to us to decontaminate and disinfect the ventilation duct to a ward where a potential Coronavirus patient had been.

But how do you carry out an essential deep clean when the building is in constant use and systems can’t be taken off-line for any great period of time?

It’s all in the planning. Our experienced team are used to working in situations where down time is a luxury, so they had already gathered the information they need to ensure the task could not only be handled effectively, but also as efficiently as possible. Having researched the floor plans they knew the best points to access the system and were able to carry out the disinfection of the entire ductwork area in just one night. Deep clean completed, the wards could safely and confidently be opened up to more patients the very next day.

In fact – 80% of our work now lies with the NHS Hospitals; both permanent and the new temporary Nightingale hospitals. Our engineers have conducted or are currently working at hospitals across the UK. This includes Rugby St Cross, Walsgrave Hospital, Royal Free London, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Shaw Healthcare, Spire Hospitals, Furness General, Scarborough Hospital, Medway Maritime, Brighton 3T’s, Altrincham Hospital, Trafford General, Oldham Hospital and Macclesfield Hospital. All of which have seen an array of services, from Duct Cleaning critical systems, to Fire Damper Testing, Disinfection and Remedial Works.

A special thanks to our team…
Our team is made up of 57 staff members nationwide, each of which are an incredibly important asset to the company. We would like to give special thanks and recognition to the engineers who are currently risking their health each day to assist the NHS, with 2-3 of them working on a hospital at a time. Without you, this wouldn’t be possible.

We’re here to help 
COVID-19 may not be something which any of us were familiar with prior to the beginning of this year, however at System Hygienics we have been able to apply our established experience in delivering clean air to this new challenge and offer a practical and proven solution to the risk that the virus presents.

If you would like to find out more about our decontamination service, visit our website at System Hygienics or get in touch to discuss your needs with a member of our team.