Friday, June 14, 2024 1:30 - 3:00pm

Occ-COVID Year 5: Pandemic prep - New Risk Assessment & IAQ Solutions

Layered prevention strategies in public congregate settings, using tools to assess risk, monitor, and clean air, are critical for future health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the Airborne Risk Indoor Assessment Tool (ARIA) and stated in the supporting publication " One of the learnings from this pandemic has been that we must reshape and redesign the building environment, while focusing on optimizing indoor ventilation and therefore, the air we breathe" (WHO 2024).

ASHRAE Standard 241, "Control of Infectious Aerosols", now provides requirements to clean the air. Using carbon dioxide monitoring “real time” as a surrogate to assess the quality of the air, will further indicate triggers and interventions required to clean the air.

In addition, researchers from the University of Bristol have shown how carbon dioxide increases a virus's lifetime in the air. Plus, Ambient carbon dioxide concentration correlates with SARS-CoV-2 aero stability and infection risk (Haddrell et al. 2024).And with global warming it is more important than ever that we monitor indoors, CO2, temperature and humidity.

As interventions are assessed, more attention is being given to upper air UV to disinfect the air, which if done safely can independently add another air cleaning method to the space.

This webinar, hosted by Kevin Hedges CIH, COH will discuss the recent WHO risk assessment, and how important it is to monitor indoor air for CO2, temperature and humidity.

We are also excited to have Joey Fox PEng, return. Joey is chair of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OPSE), Indoor Air Quality Advisory Group. He will cover ensuring good indoor air quality, mitigating airborne diseases with ASHRAE 241 and use of UV.