Hygiene inspection, cleaning and filter changes are three different processes. Anyone who combines them into one item loses the evidence they wanted to keep.
A hygiene inspection assesses the hygienic condition of an air handling system and derives measures from it; cleaning is one of those measures. A filter change is maintenance and replaces neither of the two. VDI 6022 is a private technical guideline and not a law: the assessment becomes obligatory through the operator's duty of care, the operator's hygiene plan and contractual requirements.
The trigger is usually a record, not the technology: an audit date is coming up, an insurer or an inspection body asks about system hygiene, users complain about odour from the outlets, or water damage in the air handling plant room forces action. Two misunderstandings recur regularly. First: 'we change the filters regularly, so hygiene is taken care of' – the filter change is maintenance on one assembly, while wet points such as humidifiers, cooling coils, condensate tray and droplet separators remain untouched; that is precisely where microbiological loads arise. Second: 'the hygiene inspection is a cleaning with a report' – the inspection is an assessment of the condition by personnel qualified for it. It can conclude that cleaning is necessary; conversely, cleaning can be carried out without a finding ever having been recorded and documented.
First the commission is clarified: inspect only, clean only, or both – and which documents exist. The survey follows the air path from the outdoor air intake through filter stages, coils, humidifiers, condensate tray and droplet separators to the fan, silencer, ducts and outlets. Water-carrying components are assessed by their own yardstick: water flow, drainage gradient, deposits and standing water. Where commissioned, surface samples at the hygienically critical points are added; the sampling points belong in the report, because a measured value without location and method is not reliable. Cleaning then follows per component, mechanically, wet or dry – acoustic material and finned packs do not tolerate aggressive wet treatment. The filter change follows differential pressure and the manufacturer's specification, not the calendar, and is completed with a check of the sealing seat. The report describes the condition, anything unusual, the measures derived and, on request, laboratory results.
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Hygiene inspection, cleaning and filter change are described separately and listed separately. Only then does it remain traceable which record applies to what.
Water-carrying components are assessed by their own yardstick – that is where loads arise which a filter change does not touch at all.
A filter works only as well as it sits: bypass flow at seals and frames is a property of the system, not a cleaning result.
Process
What is defined is whether only an inspection, only cleaning or both are commissioned, and which documents exist: system description, hygiene plan, maintenance history, earlier reports.
What is assessed is the outdoor air intake, filter stages, coils, humidifiers, condensate tray, droplet separators, fan, silencers, ducts and outlets.
Surface samples at the hygienically critical points. The sampling points are recorded in the report, because a measured value without location and method is not reliable.
Mechanical, wet or dry – depending on the material. Acoustic material and finned packs do not tolerate aggressive wet treatment.
Replacement follows differential pressure and the manufacturer's specification, not the calendar. The report describes the condition, the measures and anything unusual, with laboratory results on request.
This service sits within a framework of statutory duties, technical rulebooks and operational practice. The distinction matters because it determines who is responsible for what.
The rulebooks named here describe requirements for how the work is carried out – they are not a certification held by BREREI. VDI and DIN normative texts are chargeable and were not available in full; where a statement touches the normative detail, this is noted in place.
These references describe the requirements the work is performed against. They are not a certification, inspection or approval held by BREREI.
Short answers to help you assess whether this service fits your site.
No. VDI 6022 is a private technical guideline, not a legal norm. A duty arises through the duty of care and occupational health and safety law – for example the Ordinance on Workplaces or the Biological Agents Ordinance – through accident prevention regulations for member businesses, or through contractual agreements. Anyone who describes the pure guideline as a law is arguing incorrectly.
The hygiene inspection is an assessment: qualified personnel examine the condition of the system, document anything unusual and derive measures. The cleaning is the implementation of those measures. The filter change is maintenance on one assembly and is neither of the two. For the operator the distinction matters, because the records, the responsibilities and the quotation items differ.
The guideline series distinguishes personnel categories with different areas of activity – who may assess and who may carry out maintenance and cleaning work are not the same. The exact requirements for training and further qualification belong in the full text and have to be checked there (professional review of the standard in its full text is required). Clients should request evidence specifically instead of trusting self-descriptions.
No. Filter changes address particle load and pressure loss. Hygienic priorities additionally lie in water-carrying components and in areas behind the filter, such as fan chambers, silencers and condensate trays. A filter that sits cleanly also improves nothing if it is bypassed because the sealing seat is not tight – effectiveness is a property of the system, not only of the filter medium.
The guideline series assigns different intervals to the different system types; the concrete periods have to be checked in the full text and are not quoted here. For the individual property the operator sets the interval in the hygiene plan and in the risk assessment – taking into account the design, the last finding and the requirements from an audit or a contract.
The operator receives a finding report with a description of the condition, the irregularities identified, photographic documentation and recommended measures, with laboratory results from the sampling on request. This report documents the assessment that was carried out and is the basis for the operator's own records. It is not an official approval and not a confirmation of conformity of the building or the operator.
The industry page sets out which requirements apply there.
Technical and legal classification of the topic — for operators preparing a decision.
If you want to clarify whether an assessment, a cleaning or both are required, arrange a site survey. Bring the system documents and the most recent maintenance records; from these the scope can be described more precisely. There are no commitments on costs, dates or response times here.
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