Meeting the growing demand to improve the quality of life for a workforce and maintain good levels of productivity, pioneering manufacturers Plasma Clean have extended their air quality product and service portfolio.
Using cutting edge plasma and UV-C technologies to control odour and infection in buildings Plasma Clean has – up until now – mainly delivered its specialist expertise to leading hospitality brands, including: Hilton, Marriott, Premier Inn, Burger King and McDonalds.
Now, the firm is focusing on taking its skills much wider and providing total air quality solutions to the built environment in general, collaborating with facilities, building and property management professionals who are responsible for indoor air quality (IAQ) and ultimately the health and wellbeing of UK workers.
A survey commissioned by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) reports that almost 70% of office workers believe poor air quality in their place of work is having a negative effect on their day-to-day productivity, health and wellbeing. Illness costs UK businesses around £77billion each year – that’s each employee losing an average of 30 days or six working weeks of productive time annually, due to sick days or under-performance from ill-health.
Amongst the most common causes of poor IAQ are ventilation systems issues, high CO2 levels, inadequate temperature control, humidity, infection and odour, poor air circulation and insufficient fresh air intake.
Plasma Clean scientist and founder Dr David Glover, said: “The health impacts of poor outdoor air quality are well documented and have been linked to respiratory tract infections, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Indoors, you’ll find the same pollutants such as NOx and diesel particulates – often at higher levels than outdoors – mixed with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as dust, carpet fibres, fungal spores, cleaning products, photocopy residues or building materials. These create a pretty unhealthy cocktail of contaminants.”
Plasma Clean’s range of solutions are rooted in a deep understanding of how to maintain a working environment, especially those associated with the widespread use of HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning) systems to manage air flow in offices, shopping centres and factories across the UK.
HVAC systems are the lungs of the building, ensuring a consistent supply of fresh air and managing temperature and carbon-dioxide levels.
However, according to the Global Environment Protection Agency, HVAC systems are the number one cause of microbial contaminants and bad IAQ. This conflict presents a significant challenge.
Dr Glover again: “To continue to reap the benefits, it is important to maintain HVAC systems to avoid dust and microbe build-up and ensure optimal energy efficiency. Careful selection of components and a planned service regime are key. The mentality of ‘fit and forget’ is not an option.”
The company specialises in filtration systems to eliminate harmful contaminants from incoming ‘fresh’ air, uses UV-C light-based technology to treat heat exchange coils and supplies air quality sensors to continually monitor IAQ and feedback into a property’s building management system. All HVAC solutions and products are suitable for new builds or can be retro-fitted into existing buildings.
To mark the launch Plasma Clean has produced a definitive White Paper – How Indoor Air Quality can contribute to a Happy and More Productive Workforce – which building and facilities managers can download for free.
For further information, visit https://plasma-clean.com/products/indoor-air-quality/, call (t) 0161 870 2325 or email ask@plasma-clean.com or follow on LinkedIn here.
