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Including contributions from the IMechE, the report aims to help reduce transmission from future waves of Covid-19, other pandemics, seasonal flu and other infectious diseases.
Infection control must also be coordinated with energy efficiency and fire safety efforts, according to the NEPC, helping support the three goals of safe, healthy and sustainable buildings.
Seasonal diseases cost the country as much as £8bn a year in disruption and sick days, the report estimates. Improving ventilation, air quality and sanitation in buildings could minimise transmission and reduce the number of infected people, saving lives and reducing ill health and its impact on society.
The pandemic has highlighted that many of the UK’s buildings are not being operated according to current air quality standards, the report found, because they were built to previous standards or before standards were introduced, or they have been modified over time.
As well as reducing the impacts of future pandemics, seasonal flu and the associated economic and social costs, the report identifies additional benefits from improving infection resilience. Improved ventilation has been proven to boost productivity and alleviate asthma, for example, while no-touch technologies – such as sensor-operated doors – help prevent infection on surfaces but also support building occupants using wheelchairs.
The Royal Academy of Engineering-led NEPC recommended new regulations and standards to create healthier environments, taking lessons from existing accessibility, legionella, or fire regulations. The body also said that codes of practice should be introduced to make sure that the health of building occupants is a ‘day-to-day consideration’ for those in the building and construction industry, from designers to asset managers.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has made clear how important infrastructure and the built environment are for our health,” said government chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, who commissioned the report.
“We spend most of our time in indoor environments, and making these healthier and more sustainable spaces will have wide benefits to our public health, wellbeing, and the economy. I hope this report encourages the coordinated system-wide approach, collaboration, and innovation required between government, academia, and industry to deliver the transformational change recommended.”
Professor Peter Guthrie OBE, vice-president of the Royal Academy of Engineering and chair of the NEPC Infection Resilient Environments working group, said: “The public have a right to expect that buildings and transport will be designed and managed to control infection and minimise the impact of both seasonal diseases and future pandemics.
“With commitments to retrofitting buildings as part of the Net Zero Strategy, there is a moment now to take a coordinated approach to achieve infection resilience alongside improvements in energy efficiency and fire safety. Grasping that opportunity can help deliver a built environment that is safe, healthy and secure.”
The report makes eight recommendations, including:
- “Establishing best practice – the British Standards Institution should convene the relevant expertise and develop meaningful standards that are embedded into existing design and operational practices.
- “Promoting building health – the UK Health Security Agency should promote the benefits of infection resilience and good indoor air quality to building and transport owners and the public through signage and ratings in a similar way to food or water standards.
- “Ensuring that buildings operate as designed in terms of infection resilience – industry bodies and public procurement must drive improvements to the commissioning and testing of building systems at handover, and subsequently over the life of a building.
- “Establishing in-use regulations with local authorities by 2030 to maintain standards of safe and healthy building performance over the building lifetime.
- “Ensuring government departments such as BEIS, DfT and DLUHC consider incorporating infection resilience into major retrofit programmes designed to meet the commitments of the Net Zero Strategy.”
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.