Why is effective ventilation in schools important?

Ventilation in Schools

Effective ventilation not only reduces the risk of viruses spreading.  Research has shown that it can improve students’ concentration, cognitive performance, and productivity.  Depending upon the type of buildings you have, effective ventilation may be achieved either through natural ventilation (fresh air coming in through window and doors), mechanical ventilation (through fans or ducts), or a combination of both.  In addition, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (1992) state that providing sufficient fresh air in workplaces is a legal requirement.

The Health & Safety Executive states in its Workplace health, safety and welfare Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance (2013) states in paragraph 47 that:

“Enclosed workplaces should be sufficiently well ventilated so that stale air, and air which is hot or humid because of the processes or equipment in the workplace, is replaced at a reasonable rate.”

A good example of the need for effective ventilation is the location of photocopiers.  If a photocopier is located in a small room with little or no ventilation, concentrations of ozone (a gas produced during the high voltage electrical discharge in photocopiers which should disperse by natural ventilation) can build up leading to potential health issues.  This is why photocopiers shouldn’t be located in filing rooms or other enclosed areas.

Auditing your ventilation systems

In order to ensure that your buildings are effectively ventilated, it’s helpful to carry out an audit by identifying what type of ventilation each space has.  The diagram below, which can be found in Building Bulletin 101: Ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality (2018, page 16), shows the different types of ventilation systems available.

You should be aware that the cost of a contract is deemed to be the total cost over the time period of the contract. For example, the cost of a 5 year cleaning contract will be the cost for the 5 years in total.

If your contract meets the thresholds in the above table, you will need to understand your obligations regarding contract management and the publishing of appropriate notices. The Cabinet Office has launched a Procurement Pathway tool to enable public bodies to do this.

ventilation

Other aspects of your ventilation audit should include:

  • Identifying any natural ventilation issues such as windows that don’t open.
  • Understanding how mechanical ventilation systems work – you should be able to find this information in your operation and maintenance manuals or by contacting the equipment manufacturer.
  • Checking that mechanical ventilation systems are maintained appropriately.
  • Checking that airbricks aren’t blocked or damaged.

Effective ventilation is particularly important in teaching spaces such as food technology rooms, and local exhaust ventilation systems need to be in place in design and technology, and science rooms.  Effective ventilation is also required, of course, in toilets and changing rooms particularly as they are small spaces which are heavily used. 

Once you’ve completed your audit, plotting the different types of ventilation in each space on a floor plan or building information modelling system (BIM) can be helpful in identifying which spaces require ventilation attention.

What constitutes effective ventilation?

The ventilation rate refers to the volume of air that is provided to a room over a period of time.  What that rate should be will depend upon various factors including the amount of floor space per occupant, and the activity being undertaken. The HSE’s ACOP states that general teaching and learning spaces where natural ventilation or a hybrid system is operating should provide sufficient outdoor air (regarded as ‘clean air’) to achieve a daily average concentration of CO2 of less than 1,500 parts per million or not more than 2,000 parts per million for more than 20 consecutive minutes each day.  This is when the space is occupied by the number of occupants (or less) that the space was designed for.  So, here’s where your CO2 monitors come in handy to measure your CO2 levels in a particular space which you’ve identified in your ventilation audit as potentially not being compliant with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.  (It should be noted that higher levels of CO2 are acceptable for periods of time when specialist classrooms such as science labs are in use).

BB101 gives further guidance on the location of ventilation intakes and exhaust outlets.  The location of ventilation intakes needs to be considered in relation to parking areas, drop-off zones, leading bays, adjacent building exhausts, and stack discharges.  Exhaust outlets should be located so as to minimise re-entry to the building through natural and mechanical intakes.  They should also discharge away from air conditioning condensers and avoid adverse effects to the surrounding area.

Controlling your ventilation systems

Whatever type of ventilation system(s) you have, you should be able to control it by:

  • Increasing or reducing ventilation rates of spaces when required (for example, when a sports hall is or isn’t in use).
  • Using different settings for term time and holiday periods.
  • Increasing ventilation when there are high external temperatures.

If you’re unsure how you can set your ventilation system(s) to achieve the above, then arrange for a training session with your ventilation system maintenance contractor. Ensure that you get someone else to video the session so that you and other premises staff have something to refer back to, because it always seems very straightforward when someone else is doing, but when you’ve got to reset your system 6 months’ later, it might not be that easy to remember the instructions.

References

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The Importance of Good Ventilation in Schools