Case Studies
Media Office
CS003 · Commercial · Media Company — Sydney
Case Study — CS003
Media Office (Indoor Air Quality)
Client: Media Company — Sydney | Sector: Commercial
Situation
A major media organisation occupied an office space in the Sydney CBD. The open plan office occupied 400sqm on one floor, and was used by 80 to 100 people on a daily basis.
The facility manager explained that their office had a recurring seasonal absenteeism of 16% to 22% due to respiratory infections. This was a characteristic incidence and was almost always at the same time as employees complaining of bad odours from the air conditioning. The same employee would go away sick, take 2-3 days off, and return on respiratory infection medication.
Treatment
Test locations were identified. Suitable test locations are typically: under selected air conditioning vents, next to return air conditioning grilles, on top of frequently used furniture e.g. desk, and across high traffic doorways. Test readings were taken prior to treatment. A SAN-AIR 500g Gel pack was then placed in the plant room dedicated to this office floor.
Test Methodology
- 01Test locations identified at 4 key positions: Plant Room, Office Desk, Foyer, and Cupboard
- 02Baseline readings taken prior to SAN-AIR placement
- 03A 500g SAN-AIR Gel pack placed in the dedicated plant room
- 04Test readings taken weekly over a 4-week period
Result
- 50–90% decrease in microbial contaminants across all test locations
- Mould and bacteria counts reduced below AS/NZS 3666.4 standard of 1000 CFU
- Absenteeism reduced to below 2%
- Employees reported the premises smelled and felt better
Conclusion
The circulating air in an air conditioned environment can be adequately treated for general bio-burden contamination by using SAN-AIR. Benefits include addressing serious OHS issues, enabling productivity gains, reducing management strain from rescheduling, removing liability risk from poor IAQ, and meeting indoor air quality guidelines as per AS/NZS 3666 1-4.
