FOI request (FOIR-318937764)

Air Conditioning systems in your buildings / offices

Requested Tue 23 March 2021
Responded  Wed 16 June 2021

Note for all of the following questions - please provide your metrics / responses pre-COVID-19 levels (that is, normal operation of air-conditioning)

1. Is your system an air-conditioning system or recirculated air system?

2. Please supply the supplier name / model of your air-conditioning system?

2a. Is the system manual or computer controlled (automatic or allows some user intervention)?

3. Please state how you comply with Regulation 5 (Maintenance of mechanical ventilation systems) and Regulation 6 (effective ventilation) of The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992?

4. Does the system have an alarm to warn of failure in the system specifically in relation to the general ventilation to reduce concentrations of contaminants?

5. Air recirculation - is this filtered (for example, by AHU's) and adequately filtered to remove particulates?

6. Where are the office inflow ducts located (floor or ceiling)?

7. Where are the exhaust or stale air extract ducts located?

8. What proportion (percentage or ratio) of fresh air mix is supplied into the offices?

9. What is the rate of fresh air flow in litres per second per person?

10. What is the average air flow velocity?

11. Does the system have a humidifier to regulate humidity and what is the setting?

12. Does the system use filters (that is, HEPA filters) in respect of air intake?

13. How often are these filters checked and replaced?

14. How often is the air-conditioning system cleaned, checked and maintained?

15. What chemicals do you use to clean the system?

16. Do you have local exhaust ventilation (LEV) in the offices?

17. Do you have a system to monitor CO2 PPM and what is the threshold PPM of CO2 set at to open vents / windows to flush CO2?

18. How many complaints have been made in relation to the offices or 'Sick Building Syndrome' by employees in calendar years 2017, 2018 and 2019?

TM44 - when is your next assessment due, and who will be the assessor?

Response

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding.

1. Air-conditioning (A/C)

2. Various (individual cassettes)

3. Regulation 5 - a service agreement is placed annually. Regulation 6 - natural ventilation is available

4. Information not held

5. Filtered adequately

6. N/A for the type of A/C installed (individual ceiling mounted cassettes)

7. In the cassette unit

8. N/A

9. N/A

10. Information not held

11. Information not held

12. Information not held

13. Three visits per annum checked and replaced as necessary at least annually

14. Three visits per annum

15. Information not held

16. Information not held

17. N/A

18. Information not held

19. Before November 2022 - assessor not yet known