TR19 Air is BESA's standard for the internal cleanliness and hygiene management of general ventilation systems. Released in April 2024, it uses quantifiable, measurable benchmarks to control dust, allergens and mould spores in ducts and air handling units. It is the ventilation-hygiene counterpart to TR19 Grease, which instead covers kitchen extract fire risk.
What is TR19 Air?
TR19 Air addresses the internal cleanliness and hygiene management of general ventilation systems — the ducts, grilles and air handling units that move air through offices, schools, healthcare buildings and industrial premises. It was released on 15 April 2024 and uses quantifiable, measurable benchmarks rather than a subjective "looks clean" judgement.
The purpose is straightforward: a ventilation system that is internally dirty recirculates dust, allergens and mould spores through the spaces people occupy. TR19 Air sets out how to assess, clean and verify those systems.
How is TR19 Air different from TR19 Grease?
Both sit under BESA's TR19 umbrella, but they solve different problems. TR19 Grease is about fire risk in the greasy extract path above a commercial kitchen. TR19 Air is about air quality and hygiene in the general supply and extract ventilation of a building.
How is ventilation hygiene measured?
TR19 Air is built on measurable benchmarks, so a clean is evidenced rather than assumed. In practice a competent contractor surveys the system, cleans internal duct surfaces and air handling units, and provides a report documenting the condition before and after. This gives building managers an auditable record of ventilation-hygiene compliance to support their statutory health-and-safety duties.
Which buildings need TR19 Air cleaning?
Any occupied building with mechanical ventilation benefits — offices, schools, healthcare and care premises, leisure centres, and industrial and warehouse spaces where air is recirculated. In healthcare and care settings, ventilation hygiene sits alongside the broader cleanliness obligations under the NHS National Standards of Healthcare Cleanliness and CQC infection-control requirements.