COVID-19 | BUILDING MAINTENANCE MAINTAINING BUILDINGS IN LOCKDOWN Buildings left empty by the lockdown must be properly maintained to avoid risks such as legionella, corrosion and mould. Liza Young reports O n 23 March, Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be put into lockdown in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Thousands of buildings were left unoccupied as people were told to work from home, and shops, hotels and restaurants were forced to close. Also mothballed were schools, which had closed to most pupils the previous Friday. These buildings may be shut now, but they will need to be in a fit state to be occupied when the lockdown is lifted. There are a number of threats to HVAC systems in unoccupied buildings, and without appropriate maintenance regimes, issues such as legionella, corrosion and mould are at risk of occurring. For building managers, there is plenty of guidance to turn to from organisations including CIBSE, BESA, and BSRIA. Guidance, such as CIBSE Guide M, can assist with creating or adapting existing maintenance strategies, says Geoff Prudence, CIBSE Facilities Management (FM) Group chair. Tasks should be prioritised using the building operational risk management methodology, he says, adding that health, safety and welfare considerations should complement statutory requirements, including water hygiene, legionella prevention and testing, and security. Building owners and operators will need to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act, and have a legionella risk assessment in place, says Jonathan Gaunt, Society of Public Health Engineers (SoPHE) chair, and associate director at Cundall. The Health and Safety Executives Legionnaires disease Part 2: The control of legionella bacteria in hot and cold water systems (HSG274 Part 2), which should be read in conjunction with the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L8, states that all parts of the system including storage tanks, water heaters, pipework and components and associated equipment containing water should be designed to avoid water stagnation by ensuring flow through all parts of the system. It also states that infrequently used equipment within a water system should be included on a flushing regime, and outlets on the hot- and cold-water systems should be used at least once a week. To manage the risk during non-occupancy, the building owner or manager needs to consider implementing a suitable flushing regime, or other measures such as draining 18 May 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE May 2020 pp18-20 FM Covid-19.indd 18 24/04/2020 16:55