The World Health Organization (WHO) has acknowledged growing concerns surrounding the airborne transmission of the coronavirus, following the publication of an open letter addressed to the Geneva-based agency, but says more evidence is still required. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the organisation has advised that the virus is primarily spread through large respiratory droplets […]
More than 200 scientists from over 30 countries have signed an open letter urging the World Health Organization (WHO) to take the role of airborne spread of COVID-19 more seriously. Published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, the letter titled “It is Time to Address Airborne Transmission of COVID-19” challenges the view held by the […]
On June 26, the global HVAC&R community will be rallying around a common cause in celebration of World Refrigeration Day (WRD 2020). This year, the scale and means of marking the occasion has been restricted by the pandemic, but WRD founder Stephen Gill says there is still plenty going on. “WRD 20 is going to […]
An online summit called Energy Efficiency and Australia’s Economic Recovery has been scheduled on July 1 to discuss how energy efficiency and energy management can help support Australia’s economic recovery post-COVID-19. The forum is being delivered by the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS), Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), the Energy Efficiency Council (EEC), the […]
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has launched the WELL Health-Safety Rating for all building and facility types. The tool is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating system focusing on operational policies, maintenance protocols and design strategies to address a post-COVID-19 environment. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is one of the earliest outcomes of IWBI’s Task Force […]
AIRAH as part of its relationship with the ASHRAE Associate Society Alliance will offer three free webinars focused on mitigating potential health risks during re-opening of buildings closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. As buildings begin to reopen after the COVID-19 closures, it is important to make sure that building readiness plans are in place for […]
The Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) has issued a document proposing a number of key recommendations on guiding the construction industry out of the coronavirus disruption period. In the document entitled Construction’s Bridge to Recovery, the ACIF is calling on the government to assist with the economic recovery of the construction business through a list […]
Chillventa 2020, a prominent Germany-based biennial event on the European HVAC&R calendar, has been cancelled. While a digital congress has now been scheduled to take place on the original dates (October 13-15), the next Chillventa will be held on October 11-13, 2022. For its tenth outing in 2018, the European event had surpassed 1,000 exhibitors […]
The results are in from a survey exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US HVAC&R professionals. The survey was conducted by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). About 3,000 of its members replied to “ASHRAE’s Survey of the Impact of COVID-19 on Members Professionally and Their Businesses”, which explored […]
Industry is calling for urgent government measures as Australian apprentice numbers plummet due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the National Australian Apprenticeship Association (NAAA), about 5.5 per cent of apprentices and trainees have been suspended or cancelled since March 1. National employer association the Ai Group says that apprentice commencements are down 60 per […]