You must safeguard your health. From a health perspective, Overclean Ltd. believes that “YOU ARE WHAT YOU BREATHE”. In biological terms, breathing accounts for the majority of the body’s physical processes. Respiration is the process of getting oxygen into the body in order to convert food into energy.

Many people believe that respiration means simply to “breathe” and consists of the action of the lungs; but this would be a very basic explanation. Most processes within the body are facilitated with the use of oxygen. All tissues cannot survive without it. In fact, the red blood cells are specifically designed for the transport of oxygen around the body. On a microscopic level, within each cell, there are mitochondria which process external matter, including oxygen into energy. In our modern age of consumerism; “you are what you eat” is one of our culture’s “hot buzz phrases”. However, in a similar way, is it not true that “you are what you breathe?”.

Hence, as important (if not more; you can live for a week without food, but only a few minutes without air) as the food you eat is the air that you breathe. So next time you’re in your place of work, or walking up the stairs of your apartment block; take a look at the ventilation system supplying your environment – because your health and well being depends upon it. A dirty or clogged ventilation system means that your body is not getting the good quality air it needs to keep you healthy. When the air you breathe is poor, your health could be jeopardised. So important is this matter, that regulations have been created to protect it.

Legal requirements can sometimes be costly. However, their purpose is to ensure and protect those issues discussed in the Health Perspective. This developed into what is now known as The Workplace Health, Safety & Welfare Regulations 1992. Section 5 states that “…devices and systems to which this regulation applies shall be maintained (including cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient working order and in good repair…Where appropriate…devices and systems….shall be subject to a suitable system of maintenance.”

Section 6 specifically deals with the maintenance of ventilation, and regulates that “Effective and suitable provision shall be made to ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air”.

In order to safeguard the health and safety of individuals within the workplace, various regulations and directives exist. The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) regulations 1992, 5 & 6 states that every confined space in which people spend their working time must be supplied with sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. Where environments have mechanical forms of ventilations (such as ductwork) these same regulations say that it must be maintained. Failure to comply with the directives means a breach of regulations.

TR:19, the document which Overclean Ltd. had much influence in constructing, unifies all relevant regulations such as; ACOP (Approved Codes of Practice), Health & Safety Executive, Fire Precautions, Workplace regulations, et al into a single industry standard. It is the standard to which Overclean carries out all its work.