Hygiene in Your HVAC – How Duct Work Cleaning Can Help

The Next Generation of Superbugs and What You Need To Know – Advice and Guidance from Duct Work Cleaning Company Ingot Services

The danger of superbugs is always a concern when it comes to heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), so it is vital to carry out regular duct work cleaning, which is a good way of helping to keep them in check.

The current superbugs which most people have heard of are MRSA and C Diff, both of which can have devastating effects, especially in a healthcare environment. The bacteria causing MRSA are carried by many people, often in the nose or throat. Hospital and nursing home patients are at particular risk of MRSA infections because they often tend to be elderly and have weakened immune systems. There is a risk of the bacteria getting into the body through a wound or after surgery. MRSA usually starts as a skin infection but can quickly spread to other organs and cause severe illness or even death.

C Diff is another bacterial infection which also spreads quickly in hospitals, causing diarrhoea and high fever. Like MRSA, it can also lead to serious illness and death, again with the elderly being most at risk. There have been many cases of hospital wards being closed because of outbreaks of these superbugs, and the NHS has taken action to combat them, with a high level of success, for instance through deep cleaning and placing hand gels on wards for visitors to use before going in so that they avoid any risk of infecting patients.

However, while a lot of work is being done to combat MRSA and C Diff, another threat is on the horizon. A new generation of superbugs is anticipated which are resistant to our current antibiotics and could wreak havoc on the healthcare sector’s ability to provide even minor surgery. Among these is the new resistant strain of Klebsiella, an infection which can cause pneumonia as well as other illnesses such as urinary tract infections and septicaemia. New drug-resistant strains of TB and E Coli are also causing increasing concern among health professionals.

England's Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies, has called upon politicians to sit up and take notice of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and has also warned the healthcare sector to take action now. She has made 17 recommendations, including 

• A call to put the risk of these infections on the national risk register and take the problem seriously at an international level, including at G8 and the World Health Organisation
• Collection of better surveillance data across the NHS and worldwide to monitor the situation as it develops
• More work to be carried out between the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries to preserve existing drugs and to develop new antibiotics 
• To build on the success of the NHS in cutting MRSA rates, which have fallen by 80 per cent since the 2003 peak, as a result of better hygiene measures
• Making sure that infection control measures are fully applied not just in hospitals, but also in nursing homes and other care settings in the community 

Hygiene in Your HVAC – How Duct Work Cleaning Can Help

Duct work cleaning for your HVAC equipment is a vital tool which can lessen the chances of superbugs taking hold in any situation and, especially with healthcare organisations, this type of cleaning is essential to ensure a safe environment for patients who are particularly susceptible to infections.

Any HVAC which doesn’t have regular duct work cleaning carried out can be a breeding ground for superbugs, spreading them from one patient to another, so it is important not to forget about this preventative measure. If they go uncleaned, ventilation ducts will see a build-up of debris and dust which then grow bacteria, and this can easily be carried into the building, spreading illness rather than fresh and clean air, especially if the building is also warm and humid. 

There is a legal requirement for ventilation ducts to be cleaned at least every two years in order to maintain a safe and clean atmosphere, but some will need cleaning to be carried out more frequently depending on factors such as how heavily the premises are used and the level of pollution, so, if in doubt, the best move is to seek professional advice from a firm such as Ingot Services.

Ingot Services – Professional Duct Work Cleaning Specialists

Ingot Services have more than 25 years of experience and are fully registered to carry out duct work cleaning throughout the UK to meet regulatory requirements. We will issue you with a certificate for your records after carrying out cleaning and will also advise you on the best cleaning schedule for your building's HVAC system. We can also advise on filter cleaning in between full duct cleaning and carry out regular inspections on your behalf.

Duct Work Cleaning Click on the link to get in touch with Ingot Services.