Is Your Facility in Good Health?
We breathe, on average, 12 times per minute, 720 times per hour, and 17,280 times a day, but how do we know our healthcare buildings are safe and healthy when it comes to air quality?
We hear a lot about air quality and its undoubted impact on our well-being and health. But when we dig a little bit more about air quality, people are referring mostly to outdoor air quality. The general perception is that we are exposed to outdoor pollution but once we are inside the building, we are protected from air pollution. In a study made by French Consulting company ENABLE,[1] 52% of French, 60% of Belgian and 62% of Shanghai residents were surprised to learn that we are exposed to more air pollution inside buildings than we are outdoors. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air quality is up to five times more polluted than outdoors.[2]
In healthcare settings, air quality has been found to have a profound impact on patient health.
A physician, Dr. Stephanie Taylor, has undertaken years of research after realizing that her patients in Boston hospitals were getting new infections despite extensive surface hygiene efforts, while her patients in a simple hospital in Papua New Guinea with less resources were not. What was the reason? This is where Dr. Taylor began to extend her research into how building architecture and air quality can have an effect on patients.
In 2020, Dr. Taylor co-founded Building4Health (B4H)[3] to create a building-performance metric using occupant health data to become “the most important next advance in improving public health.” The B4H mission is to lead the transformation of indoor air quality management through our medically based, data-driven approach for better health and efficiency.
We Are Beginning To See Standards Catch Up With the Research
In a number of scientific studies conducted over the years, it has been found that the ideal indoor humidity level of between 40-60%RH will reduce the spread of respiratory infections.
ASHRAE published Standard 241, which has been developed to reduce the risk of infectious aerosol transmission in buildings. Standard 241 establishes minimum requirements to reduce the risk of airborne disease transmission and other pathogens in buildings like single and multi-family homes, offices, schools, and healthcare facilities. The standard applies to new and existing building and sets requirements for equivalent clean airflow rate target per occupant of pathogen free air flow, reducing the risk of infection.
How Can a Building Management System (BMS) Help?
More than ever, having a fully functional BMS to ensure wellbeing in non-residential building is critical. An outdated, non-functioning or inefficient system can have serious consequences for the health of patients and staff by facilitating the transmission of viruses and bacteria. In all aspects of our lives, we expect the spaces we occupy to be healthy and trustworthy so that we can grow, learn, work, and consume with peace of mind.
Occupants want to know that the building they are entering is safe, that measures have been taken to reduce the spread of infection, that the space is clean, they will be alerted to any problems and that they can have control over their own environment. This is particularly important in a healthcare environment where patients might already feel vulnerable. The measures can be classified into the two following solution types – proactive solutions that reduce the risk of contagion and reactive solutions that advance optimal risk management.
In the first instance, there are a number of proactive measures that we can put in place to make our buildings safer. These include managing indoor air quality, detecting occupied spaces, and providing contactless comfort management.
Wellbeing Is a Priority
Patients and staff need to be central to how the building operates and human-centric solutions, such as the AI-powered Resense Move, are designed to enhance the comfort of people visiting, recovering, and working in the building.
As an example, in a hospital, where bed space is at a premium and there is a constant stream of visitors, it’s important to know who is using a space and when. Resense Move will count the number of people in a space and provide a proactive solution which immediately renews the airflow in the building according to the occupancy levels unlike a standard CO2 sensor which needs to be sent a command. The integrated visual LED indicator on Resense Move provides reliable information about the space, letting occupants know if there is a problem with the air quality such as a build-up of CO2 or VOCs.
As a multi-sensor, Resense Move also has the capability to monitor dB levels (noise), which can be important in healthcare settings. For instance, dB readings could be taken at a nursing station within a NICU which is adjacent to construction activities to monitor and address noise levels that may have an impact on patient outcomes, such as an infant’s heart rate and blood pressure. The solution that Resense Move offers will aid indoor air quality, save energy and enhance the day-to-day operations in a building. It can also be installed in a new construction or renovation.
To deliver operational efficiencies it is important to collect as much data as possible about a building but also for this data to be acted upon, the system needs to work in harmony. This is why Distech Controls created its global DC Space solution. Building owners and facility managers can install and use an ECY-PTU or VAV for an all-in-one solution for fresh air renewal and demand-controlled ventilation. Resense Move collects the data and information, which is then sent to the VAV or PTU for providing the air needed. This combination creates an innovative, efficient and seamless system.
When we enter a healthcare environment, we want to know that the air we breathe is as safe as possible. Building owners and facility managers have a duty to provide occupants with a comfortable environment but they are also required to ensure their buildings meet sustainability target and energy efficiencies. With new sensor solutions we can provide human-centric buildings without compromising on energy efficiency.
Renée Jacobs, Healthcare Business Development Manager at Distech Controls, is a FASHE, Certified Healthcare Facility Manager and Certified Healthcare Constructor with more than 30 years and a billion of dollars of experience in healthcare construction, facilities management, and strategic sales in building technologies and sustainability.
[1] 66 Public perception of indoor air quality in China, Belgium and France – Laurence Bedeau.pdf (veolia.org)
[2] Indoor Air Quality | US EPA
[3] About | B4H, Inc. (b4hinc.com)