Member Article

Plexus Innovation Keeps Age UK Northumberland’s Staff And Visitors Monitored

Age UK Northumberland is delighted to have committed to a pilot installation of CO2 monitors to measure the quality of air in the charity’s headquarters in Ashington.

Supplied and fitted by Plexus Innovation to help keep the building monitored ensuring optimum air quality for staff and visitors, GUARDIAN® is a non-intrusive IoT remote technology system that supplies data 24/7, 365.

GUARDIAN® CO2 Node is wall fitted in a strategically chosen position to ensure that the readings give an overall understanding for the room, giving the opportunity to monitor in real time and make insight driven decisions on safety levels.

Within the Roundhouse headquarters, Age UK Northumberland has several high traffic areas ideal to be monitored to best effect. Monitors are now in place for the pilot, in the large training and event room, the studio where fitness classes are held and in the main office where the home care team operate from daily.

Anneka Johnson, Key Account Manager at Plexus Innovation fitted the hardware and explained the benefits of monitoring CO2:

“GUARDIAN®’s readings will show how effective the building’s ventilation is, which is all important in the reduction of the spread of viruses.

“As more and more of us return to high traffic areas, taking extra precautions to reduce the transmission of things like Covid, is all important. As the Age UK Northumberland team do such critical work in the community, it is essential to them to reduce sickness, and also to prevent visitors to the building being potentially exposed too.”

GUARDIAN® is the perfect enabler of infection control when used for environmental monitoring such as CO2, temperature and humidity. The real time collection of data allows the user to track and mitigate risk in high-risk areas such as office blocks, schools, gyms, and more. Amy Whyte, CEO of Age UK Northumberland, said:

“The increase of CO2 increases the risk of transmission of viruses and we need our team to be healthy so we can look after older people in the community every day. To know we have a safer environment due to GUARDIAN® monitoring is very reassuring. We had looked at other versions, that sit on desks, but had heard reports that cause panic as they go off constantly due to the incorrect positioning. The unobtrusive GUARDIAN® nodes fit right in and quietly help keep us safe.”

As GUARDIAN® is battery powered it can be discreetly positioned in an optimum position and offers a cost effective solution. Anneka explained more about the dangers of too much CO2:

“Too much CO2 in the environment indoors makes people sleepy and reduces our ability to perform. The more people there are in a space that isn’t well enough ventilated, the more CO2 is produced and ultimately the aim is to always have a low count. By knowing when levels get high, it allows for educated understanding on when windows should be opened or air conditioning should be turned up.”

GUARDIAN® also offers water system and refrigeration monitoring and control, enabling insight driven decisions, reliable compliance reporting and alerting to health risks or failing assets that otherwise may not be known about.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Toms .