Ventilation hygiene experts Swiftclean have welcomed the release of the new BESA (Building Engineering Services Association) TR19® Air ‘Specification for internal cleanliness and hygiene management of ventilation systems’, which BESA claims will revolutionise building air quality.
Swiftclean Managing Director, Gary Nicholls, a long serving member of the steering committee helping to draft and refine TR19® Air, TR19® Grease and their predecessors, said, “The long awaited TR19® Air specification will help to emphasise the importance of clean ventilation ductwork and its impact on healthy indoor air quality, something that we have campaigned for over many years.
“The health of workers and residents in a large swathe of buildings across the UK will now be better safeguarded as compliance with this new specification gains traction. In the past, ventilation systems tended to be out of mind as well as out of sight, so cleaning them was all too often postponed or neglected. We trust this new emphasis on air quality, highlighting the importance of ventilation hygiene with regard to health and wellbeing, will finally put an end to those days.”
TR19® Air provides invaluable guidance for building and facilities managers in fulfilling their obligations under health & safety legislation, to achieve and maintain a healthy indoor atmosphere for occupants. Swiftclean is also delighted that the BESA has also updated the content of two of its training courses, for which Swiftclean is currently one of only three training centres in the UK. Swiftclean experts will deliver the new TR19® Air Hygiene Operative course, which will train operatives to clean ventilation systems in compliance with TR19® Air, and will include both theory and practical tests to ensure that operatives are highly competent in this specialist cleaning task.
Swiftclean will also deliver the Air Hygiene Technician course for those who, in addition to cleaning the ductwork, will also be required to create risk assessments and method statement’s (RAMS). The course, which is delivered from Swiftclean’s specifically equipped training centre in Southend-on Sea, also covers the inspection, testing and reporting on the cleanliness of the system, as well as the installation of additional access points which help to ensure overall access and compliance with TR19® Air.
Swiftclean has long been an advocate of formal training schemes for technicians, being an early adopter of BESA training initiatives, including its then groundbreaking Green Book scheme. At one time, the Swiftclean team had more Green Book graduates than the rest of the industry combined.
Says Nicholls, “It is very pleasing to see the industry elevated by both BESA specifications and dedicated training courses, which will raise standards of best practice across the industry.”
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