Improving Indoor Working Conditions with Germicidal Ultraviolet Irradiation (UVGI)
Quintessential Construction Managers & Consultants, LLC
After dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, business offices have been looking for solutions to stem the spread and get people back into the office.
The high demand for masks & hand sanitizers, and the washing of your hands for at least 20 seconds were commonplace. Those of us in the construction industry were considered essential employees/workers and were required to head to work in spite of the pandemic, being subjected to temperature checks as an option to separate infected people away from people who were presumed to be healthy, so that the spread of COVID could be avoided.
As we move into 2023 mask use has declined, hand sanitizers are readily available, and managers/business owners are moving in the direction to improve indoor air quality, not only to combat the spread of COVID but also to hopefully stave off any future pandemic like situations.
The installation of ultraviolet (UV) technology into building HVAC systems has been explored and is currently being vetted by the CDC. UV sanitization has been considered a cost-effective alternative to other options, eliminating up to 99 percent of the germs, microbes and bacteria in the indoor air and on surfaces. Health care facilities have embraced UV technology. Now institutional and commercial buildings/facilities are looking at UV technology as an option to improve the indoor office environment.
After a recent visit to Santa Clarita, California for my best friend's birthday celebration, I learned that this forward-thinking California city had installed UV filtration systems in all of its municipal buildings, community centers, libraries, and hospitals. UV sanitation systems have also been installed on all of their transit buses as well.
This piqued our interest at Quintessential LLC to explore the development of partnerships with firms to enhance our Facilities Support Services core competencies to provide the highest indoor air quality solutions for our current and future customers.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation, or UVGI, is the use of ultraviolet (UV) energy to kill viral, bacterial, and fungal organisms. UVGI, also known as UV sterilization or UV disinfection, deactivates the DNA of bacteria, virus and other pathogens and destroys their ability to multiply and cause disease.
领英推荐
Per the CDC, UVGI can be used to disinfect air, water, and surfaces, thus providing an excellent option to improve the indoor office environment as employees/workers return to the office.
Changes in buildings/facilities emphasized since the start of the pandemic have more to do with indoor air quality for the building/facility occupants and less to do with the financial cost for UV upgrades.
In situations where you are located in a multi-tenant building with no control over the HVAC system, small effective portable UV units have been created for in office use.
Could we have done more earlier to curtail the spread of COVID-19 by making a financial investment in improving the office indoor air quality? Perhaps, but we will never know. Utilizing the available resources that have been developed to prevent the further spread of COVID could possibly help prevent us from experiencing what might be coming down the road, a future pandemic.
Let's work together to address the health risks caused be poor air quality and less than desired sanitization of the buildings/facilities that we work in. Quintessential LLC can assist you in making that happen.