Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

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Hospital ductwork cleaning - long-term partnership pays off

System Hygienics has recently completed remedial work to ductwork at the Princess Royal University Hospital in Bromley, Kent, following the hospital's fire damper testing programme. System Hygienics has more than 15 years' experience cleaning ductwork systems, and in the last few years has been testing fire dampers and carrying out remedial works where necessary, for NHS and private hospitals.

At the Princess Royal, the company modified fire and smoke dampers and nearby ductwork and access arrangements to ensure compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and with Health Technical Memorandum 03-01 'Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises. Part B: Operational Management and Performance Verification.'

Mark George, maintenance manager at VINCI Facilities, the maintenance contractor for hospital, says: "I have a lot of faith in the managing director of System Hygienics, Steve Liddiard and his team. My experience of working with the company is that they always deliver a first rate ductwork cleaning service."

System Hygienics has worked at the hospital for over 12 years, and has recently cleaned extract ductwork at its Green Parks House psychiatric unit.
In addition, extract ductwork in the main hospital kitchen is maintained on an ongoing basis in order to meet the hospital's fire safety obligations, minimising the risk of fire by removing grease deposits. The company carries out annual air hygiene surveys at the hospital, which include a detailed report with results of dust and microbiological samples, indoor air quality measurements and photographs, with recommendations for future actions.

System Hygienics has also cleaned ventilation ductwork that carries fresh air to the hospital's eight busy operating theatres using its Jetvent Powervac system, a remote cleaning method that employs compressed air and a powerful filtered vacuum, to access and clean areas that would normally be out of reach. By using the Jetvent, the company's engineers are able to reach up to 50 metres of ductwork from a single point, utilising existing maintenance and inspection openings.

Ductwork internal surfaces must be cleaned regularly otherwise a build-up of dust and dirt - a mixture of organic compounds, including a high proportion of skin and hair, which are valuable nutrients for microorganisms - will occur. These can easily become airborne and transmit to patients.

To minimise disruption, System Hygienics works around staff and patient timetables and carries out cleaning on critical operating theatre ventilation systems while the theatres are not in use during evenings and weekends.

Images: before cleaning and after cleaning

T: 01323 411044
E: [email protected]
W: www.prgltd.co.uk

4th December 2014