The newly formed British Standard has garnered warm reception for its focus on elevating health and well-being standards within buildings. The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), in particular, has expressed its enthusiastic support of standard.
Known as BS40102 (part one), this pioneering standard provides guidance for measuring, monitoring, and reporting on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) across all categories of non-domestic buildings. It encompasses assessments and rating systems for aspects such as air quality, lighting, thermal comfort, and acoustics.
BS40102-1 equips building managers with a benchmark rating system designed to pinpoint areas with suboptimal IEQ performance. This enables them to strategically plan enhancements and incorporate IEQ measures into retrofit and renovation projects, ultimately promoting the health and well-being of occupants.
EFT Consult, an environmental and building services firm headquartered in Swansea, played a pivotal role in shaping this standard. Their efforts began with the development of a publicly available specification (PAS 3003), initiated by the 2015 Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act.
What does the new standard involve?
To meet the requirements of this new standard, organisations must address conditions that directly impact human health, including humidity levels and excessive concentrations of CO2, CO, NO2, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), airborne particulates, and mould.
Dave Kieft, Chair of EFT, celebrated this milestone, stating, “The launch of BS40102-1 marks a significant advancement in assessing and enhancing indoor environmental quality in the UK. We take pride in our substantial contribution to the development and implementation of this new standard, and we believe it will significantly enhance the health, well-being, and productivity of building occupants worldwide.”
Nathan Wood, Chair of BESA’s IAQ Group, emphasized, “This new British Standard represents a crucial step forward in our ongoing efforts to encourage governments and building owners to prioritize indoor environments. Establishing IEQ performance benchmarks will simplify the task for facilities managers, enabling them to target areas of concern and demonstrate how these conditions directly influence health and productivity. Nevertheless, it is imperative that we continue to push for higher standards, as current government targets do not align with the latest WHO guidance and lack substantial ambition.”
BESA has launched a campaign advocating for buildings to become ‘safe havens’ from pollution, resulting in the creation of three guidance documents intended to assist building owners in complying with the new standard.
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