3
Corporate Office 5415 Oberlin Drive San Diego, CA 92121 O: (858) 654-0102 F: (858) 654-0103 Wesley S. Dymek, Principal Rosemary Dymek, Principal VOLUME 78 PARAGON NEWS ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2020 WANT TO CONTRIBUTE? If you would like to share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at [email protected] As facility manag- ers consider their reo- pening strategies, of course cleaning, PPE, and social distancing policies must be top of mind. But the role of the HVAC system cannot be ignored either. Can improved air filtration and better ventilation actually help reduce the spread of coronavirus? Or does recirculated air as from air conditioning systems help spread the virus? Those have been the million dollar ques- tions really since the start of pandemic. First the bad news: An alarming study pub- lished in February showed that diners in a Wuhan restaurant con- tracted the coronavirus with an assist from a building’s air condition- ing system. Nine diners were infected by an asymptomatic carrier who was sitting near an air conditioning vent. But as scary as that seems, and while FMs should consider that air condition can spread particles farther, the good news is that the results of that study may not translate well to an https://www.facilitiesnet.com/hvac/tip/What-Role-Does-HVAC-Play-in-Reducing-Coronavirus-Risks-in-Buildings--46430? source=facility_insider&utm_source=facility_insider&utm_campaign=fnnewsletter-2020&utm_medium=email office building or school or other space where social distancing prac- tices are being adhered to. Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Cen- ter for Health Security is quoted in Heath: “I don’t necessarily think that this study is representa- tive of transmission risk. However, it is important to be mindful of air flow patterns, especially if they are strong and cre- ate a jet stream for droplets.” So what really should FMs focus on in regards to making sure their HVAC systems are safe? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recom- mends ensuring that all HVAC systems are re- commissioned to en- sure proper operation in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 120-2018. As well, CDC recommends increasing circulation of outdoor air as much as possible through open doors and windows. Anisa Heming, director of the Center for Green Schools, agrees, but with a note of cau- tion: “In general, more fresh air the better. But there is some question about forced air sys- tems, and whether air movement is not a good thing.” She says FMs should look for opportu- nities to flush air when space is not occupied if possible. She also says there is a lot of uncer- tainty right now about what can kill the virus in terms of filtration in an air handling unit. But generally, higher MERV rates for HVAC filters will be better. ASHRAE has produced a wealth of resources and guidance for all types of buildings in re- gards to HVAC and coronavirus. That is a great place to start for FMs with lingering HVAC questions.

VOLUME 78 PARAGON NEWS · 9/9/2020  · share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at [email protected]

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Page 1: VOLUME 78 PARAGON NEWS · 9/9/2020  · share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at adelgado@paragonservices.us.com

Corporate Office

5415 Oberlin Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

O: (858) 654-0102

F: (858) 654-0103

Wesley S. Dymek, Principal

Rosemary Dymek, Principal

V O L U M E 7 8

P A R A G O N N E W S E

NG

INE

ER

ING

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

WANT TO CONTRIBUTE?

If you would like to share a story or

contribute to Paragon Services

Engineering’s monthly newsletter.

Please contact Angela at

[email protected]

As facility manag-ers consider their reo-pening strategies, of course cleaning, PPE, and social distancing policies must be top of mind. But the role of the HVAC system cannot be ignored either. Can improved air filtration and better ventilation actually help reduce the spread of coronavirus? Or does recirculated air as from air conditioning systems help spread the virus? Those have been the million dollar ques-tions really since the start of pandemic. First the bad news: An alarming study pub-lished in February showed that diners in a Wuhan restaurant con-tracted the coronavirus with an assist from a building’s air condition-ing system. Nine diners were infected by an asymptomatic carrier who was sitting near an air conditioning vent. But as scary as that seems, and while FMs should consider that air condition can spread particles farther, the good news is that the results of that study may not translate well to an

https://www.facilitiesnet.com/hvac/tip/What-Role-Does-HVAC-Play-in-Reducing-Coronavirus-Risks-in-Buildings--46430?source=facility_insider&utm_source=facility_insider&utm_campaign=fnnewsletter-2020&utm_medium=email

office building or school or other space where social distancing prac-tices are being adhered to. Infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Cen-ter for Health Security is quoted in Heath: “I don’t necessarily think that this study is representa-tive of transmission risk. However, it is important to be mindful of air flow patterns, especially if they are strong and cre-ate a jet stream for droplets.” So what really should FMs focus on in regards to making sure their HVAC systems are safe? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recom-mends ensuring that all HVAC systems are re-commissioned to en-sure proper operation in accordance with ASHRAE Standard 120-2018. As well, CDC recommends increasing circulation of outdoor air as much as possible through open doors and windows.

Anisa Heming, director

of the Center for Green Schools, agrees, but with a note of cau-tion: “In general, more fresh air the better. But there is some question about forced air sys-tems, and whether air movement is not a good thing.” She says FMs should look for opportu-nities to flush air when space is not occupied if possible. She also says there is a lot of uncer-tainty right now about what can kill the virus in terms of filtration in an air handling unit. But generally, higher MERV rates for HVAC filters will be better.

ASHRAE has produced a wealth of resources and guidance for all types of buildings in re-gards to HVAC and coronavirus. That is a great place to start for FMs with lingering HVAC questions.

Page 2: VOLUME 78 PARAGON NEWS · 9/9/2020  · share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at adelgado@paragonservices.us.com

As we continue to work through the uncertainty of the COVID19 Pandemic, we want to reassure all of our amazing essential building engineers that we are here supporting you, day in and day out. Your corporate support team is working to ensure that everything continues on the backend without delay while you are out there maintaining the build-ings of our clients. We, too, are abiding by the same safety protocols – social distancing, wearing masks, and staying away from the workplace if we are experiencing symptoms. Our goal for every Paragon team member, whether in the field or in the office, is to stay safe and healthy while we weather through this storm together. You are our “Masked Essential Superheroes” and we are grateful for all of your dedication and commitment to providing safe work environ-ments for your fellow Paragon engineers, our clients, and their tenants and visitors! We would like to see all of our Masked Essential Superhe-roes. Please email Angela with a picture of yourself wearing your mask. [email protected]

Face covering should be warn..

While on site at all times

Around vendors,

Performing work related tasks.

Waiting in line to go inside a store

Shopping in a store

In any public areas

Travel

We require all employees traveling

outside the United States to report

their travel to the Human Re-

sources Department

After traveling outside the United

States all employees must have

medical clearance before returning

to work

Feeling Sick

Employees who have symptoms of

illness must stay home and not go to

work.

Employees should notify their super-

visor and stay home if they are sick

If you are sick with a fever, cough or

having trouble breathing seek medi-

cal care.

Page 3: VOLUME 78 PARAGON NEWS · 9/9/2020  · share a story or contribute to Paragon Services Engineering’s monthly newsletter. Please contact Angela at adelgado@paragonservices.us.com

September 2020 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

9/4 - Michael Lynch

9/7 - Joseph Harris

9/12 - Miguel Cervantes

9/13 - James Caple

9/13 - Filiberto Gomez

9/17 - Joseph Rice

9/17 - Jose Cortez

9/18 - Jesse Harnish

9/22 - Daniel Martinez

9/22 - David Burnside

9/28 - Graham Callier

9/28 - Curt Greaves

1. The message is sent from a public email domainMost organizations, except some small operations, will havetheir own email domain and company accounts. For example,legitimate emails from Google will read ‘@google.com’. If thedomain name (the bit after the @ symbol) matches the appar-ent sender of the email, the message is probably legitimate.

2. The domain name is misspeltThere’s another clue hidden in domain names that is mis-spelled is a strong indication of a scam. They can change an“n” to an “m” or an “o” to an “c” hoping you wouldn’t notice.

3. The email is poorly writtenYou can often tell if an email is a scam if it contains poorspelling and grammar. The theory is that, if someone ignoresclues about the way the message is written, they’re less likelyto pick up clues during the scammer’s endgame.

4. It includes suspicious attachments or linksThis will either be an infected attachment that you’re asked todownload or a link to a bogus website. The purpose of thesepayloads is to capture sensitive information, such as login cre-dentials, credit card details, phone numbers and accountnumbers.

5. The message creates a sense of urgencyThe longer you think about something, the more likely you areto notice things that don’t seem right. Maybe you realize thatthe organization doesn’t contact you by that email address, oryou speak to a colleague and learn that they didn’t send you adocument. That’s why so many scams request that you actnow or else it will be too late

INGREDIENTS

3 Large Ripe Peaches

1 to 2 Tablespoons salted

butter

2 Tablespoons light brown

sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray an oven sage

pan with nonstick spray

Slice peaches in half and remove the pit, then

place in the pan. Place a small piece of butter

(about 3/4 teaspoon) in the middle of the peach

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small

bowl. Then sprinkle over the peach

Bake for 8-12 minutes or until golden.

Top with vanilla ice cream