Page 8 - Climate Control News Magazine March 2021

News
Clogged air conditioning blamed for poor health
CLOGGED AIR CONDITIONING systems contributed to the poor health of a mobile plant operator at the Maules Creek coal mine in New South Wales.
The operator has been diagnosed with a lung disease after working in the mining and non- mining sectors for more than 35 years.
During his career he operated mobile plants equipped with enclosed cabins and air condi- tioning systems.
These air conditioning units had often be- come clogged and stopped working, according
to the New South Wales Resources Regulator last month.
The worker was also involved in mine con- struction and the extraction of coal from 1997 to 2013.
“He never wore a dust mask in this period and was never asked to wear one,” the regula- tor stated.
“At (some work locations), he operated equipment with poorly maintained seals and ineffective or non-operational air condition- ing units.”
The resources regulator said coal and silica dust exposure contributed to his condition.
The regulator advised mine operators to review and verify the adequacy of their haz- ard management plan for airborne contami- nants, including the hierarchy of controls, mine ventilation and supply of personal pro- tective equipment (PPE).
“Workers must utilise the lower order control of wearing respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to complement higher order controls in the workplace,” the regulator stated.
Maules Creek coal mine in NSW.
Making buildings healthier post-COVID
HUMIDITY SPECIALIST, CONDAIR, has re- leased a whitepaper entitled Making Buildings Healthier.
It contains information on how building managers can protect occupant health with a holistic approach to controlling their indoor environments.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has focused pub- lic attention on the risks posed by viral trans- mission in buildings. Contributory factors that have been known about for some time, have now been placed centre stage, emphasising the influence that elements such as fresh air, tem- perature, minimum relative humidity and even sunlight all have on the spread of viruses.
The aim of Condair’s whitepaper is to pro- vide an overview of these factors and pro- mote dialogue between facility managers, users and health and safety officers, enabling the right package of health protection meas- ures to be considered.
The whitepaper also includes a checklist so that readers can take stock of their building’s cur- rent situation, discover the extent to which their premises protects against the spread of infections and identify where improvements could be made.
Condair Group CEO, Oliver Zimmermann, said the whitepaper presents a clear and concise overview of the steps building operators can and should be taking to enhance occupant health, using a holistic approach, rather than a one size fits all framework for indoor environ- mental management.
“The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist on humidity control and for years we’ve collaborated with scientists and health- care experts to understand and promote the importance of optimal humidity for health. Through this research we appreciate that hu- midity control is just one, but a decisive, weap- on that can be used in the fight against res- piratory infections,” Zimmermann said.
“Upgrading our built environment to better protect human health from the cur- rent COVID-19 and future potential pandem- ics, whilst not sacrificing the important gains we have made in ener-
gy efficiency, is the single largest chal- lenge the HVAC industry will face in our lifetime.
“To achieve this objective, we must act as a sector to educate, cooperate and implement practical solutions as rapidly as possible.”
Condair’s Making Buildings Healthier whitepaper can be downloaded from www. condair.com.au/making-buildings-healthier- whitepaper.
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