CETEC was recently appointed by the Federal Government to provide guidance to the National Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth) for the development of national guidance - Legionella control in potable water distribution systems in health and aged care facilities.
CETEC consultants are visiting Lae in Papua New Guinea next week. They are conducting hazardous materials audits on the existing buildings on the ANGAU Memorial Hospital redevelopment site.
CETEC has been sponsoring the School of Chemistry's top honours students for the CETEC Prize since 2008. The dual prize this year was awarded to Vera Diachenko and Nicholas Konstandaras for their thesis submitted in 2013.
CETEC conducted air quality testing for Seven News last week at selected schools in Sydney and Melbourne at drop off and pick up time. Parents who pick up their children by car and leave their car engines running while they are waiting are exposing all the children nearby to toxic exhaust fumes and particulates.
With Cyclone Ita and the resulting heavy rain and flooding in parts of Far North Queensland it is timely reminder - you need to act quickly, when water damages a building, but don't undertake works without first consulting an expert.
The risk of airborne microbials, exacerbated by poor ventilation and open plan office design, should be considered coming into the cold and flu season.
This article, Perceived Indoor Air Quality and Work Performance was written jointly by CETEC Managing Director, Dr Vyt Garnys and Jahangir Yar Khan, Joint President of Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd was published in the February edition of Indian Green Building Council Newsletter - Mumbai chapter.
With the recent Morwell coal open cut mine fire leading to high particulate levels, there has been a focus on the health and wellbeing impact of air particles. This recent US study reveals a strong connection between particulate and productivity.
CETEC is delighted to announce that Tony Gillett has joined our growing team as a Senior Consultant. Tony joins the team from Lend Lease where he was a Senior Design Manager. He had been with Baulderstone (now Lend Lease) for eight years having previously been with Brookfield Multiplex and Walters. A qualified architect, Tony brings significant experience to the group, particularly for CETEC’s Design Risk, Project Management, and Materials Selection/Failure service areas.
Wednesday 20 November 2013
The CETEC & Mycometer team will be exhibiting at this year’s Annual Conference and Exhibition of the AIOH. The conference will be at the Hilton Sydney Hotel from Saturday 30 November to Wednesday 4 December. The team will be located in Booth 53. Come to see and learn how the Mycometer & Bactiquant technology can assist you in determining your microbial indoor environmental quality risk, in less than an hour.
In October the Queensland government released the Preliminary Guidelines for Managing
Microbial Water Quality in Health Facilities. CETEC was appointed to the Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) for Queensland Health in June 2013 and along with the other members, the CETEC team have been working on these guidelines. The current guidelines were released in November 2013.
November is National Asbestos Awareness month. This article has links to useful information for everybody including a video from Better Homes and Gardens on what you need to know about Asbestos in your home and a 2012 government published guide: Asbestos: A guide for householders and the general public.
Invitation to CETEC's Brisbane Seminar event being held on October 10 at Level 9 Rooftop - Wesley House, 140 Ann Street Brisbane. There are two seminars being held, firstly: Innovation in Healthcare Facilities and then Productive Buildings.
Following discussion with international researchers in Europe and the US, CETEC would like to introduce the Mycometer® Technology to the Australian market, and will be the exclusive distributor of this rapid microbiological test system within Australia.
This article, written by Jack Noonan and Dr Vyt Garnys of CETEC was published in Facility Perspectives in June. The emergence of green buildings and the emphasis on occupant health and wellbeing are two of the main reasons that many in the property and construction industry know what volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) are, and why their importance is no longer ignored. The facilities manager has an important role in establishing the source of poor indoor air quality issues, particularly those resulting from high VOCs in the indoor environment.