Australian Standard

Australian Standards Applicable to Air Handling Systems Cleaning

In Australia, these come within the provisions of the various State Workplace Health and Safety and Occupational Health and Safety Acts as workplaces (nearly all commercial buildings), are obliged to abide by the current standards applicable to air handling systems. Either due to the powers of the inspectors or to the specific regulations the Australian Standard has been adopted. As an example, the Workplace Health and Safety Act Regulations 1989 for Queensland has in part;

"289 At the workplace, air handling and water systems used in the building shall comply with the requirements of AS 3666 Air handling and water systems of building microbial control."

The Australian Standard AS 3666.2-2002, specifies, in part:

"2.3.5 Ducts and other components. The following components shall be serviced as indicated:

(1) Coils……… inspected annually, and cleaned where necessary.
(2) Trays and Sumps…….. inspected annually, and cleaned where necessary.
(3) Condensate drains, tundishes, and traps ……. Checked annually for effectiveness, and drainage lines flushed clean.
(4) Ductwork ……. inspected in the vicinity of moisture producing equipment and selected access points annually and cleaned.
(5) Terminal Units ……. components inspected annually and cleaned where necessary.

(6) Terminal Units......... Inspected annually and cleaned when necessary. (VAV units)

(7) Air Outlets.......... components inspected annually and cleaned when necessary.

(8) Registers and Exhaust Grilles ....... Inspected annually and cleaned when necessary

There is a clear statutory obligation to clean air handling systems where necessary. They are to be inspected annually. A failure to carry out any of these procedures is a breach of the various State Workplace and Occupational Health and Safety Acts.

In addition, there are sections of the Health Act in various States that require cleaning of air handling systems. Obligations of inspection and cleaning may be also imposed by fire related regulations. Often these regulations or Acts impose quite severe penalties for non compliance and leave the offender liable for civil action by an injured party such as the recent case where a woman was awarded damages under the NSW Factories, Shops and Industry Act, due to not being free of fumes, smoke or airborne contaminants.

As an example of the specific requirement by various State Acts, the NSW Health Act includes:

"72(1) For the purposes of section 46 of the Act, the requirements of this clause are prescribe maintenance requirements for air handling systems.

(2) The following parts of an air handling system are to inspected annually and cleaned if the inspection discloses this to be necessary;

(a) Coils, trays and sumps;
(b) Condensate drains, trundishes and traps;
(c) Ductwork in the vicinity of moisture producing equipment and at access points in the vicinity of fire dampeners;
(d) Terminal unit components.

(3) After condensate trays, trundishes or traps are cleaned, all drainage lines are to be flushed.

Section 59 says in part:

"……."clean" means visually free of sludge, slime, algae, fungi, rust, scale, dirt, dust and any deposit or accumulation of impurities or any other foreign material;………

Additionally cleaning is also required before a system is brought into service as set out in Section 61.

Finally, older air handling systems very often contain asbestos fibres either from the asbestos millboard used within the ductwork itself, or due to asbestos material being used in the building. There is a statutory obligation in each State to remove this asbestos.