Mr. Christian Lorenz in an interview about biosafety in the construction industry:
Why is Biosafety an issue for you too?
Dl Christian Lorenz: We have a very strong presence in the health sector – in laboratory planning or the implementation of large laboratory projects.
Dealing with the topic of infections and infectious patients requires appropriate expertise. The necessary protection of the personnel involved and the environment is becoming an increasingly important issue.
What is the planning process like?
Dl Christian Lorenz: First of all, the customer prepares a risk assessment. The questions are: With which biological substances (e.g. viruses)
do I have to do it? What dangers are possible? First and foremost Biosafety is personal protection – i.e. of the personnel – and only then environmental protection. Examples from the past are swine flu, Ebola or the military sector.
In concrete terms, there are three competencies that overlap:
1. organization
2. staff training
3. planning and implementing technical solutions
Our task is to plan and build dense areas. Flier are also ventilation systems and filters an important point. We consider the whole room or individual clean room workbenches.
What information do you need before you can start?
Dl Christian Lorenz: We are constantly educating ourselves in this area: the centre of knowledge in Europe is Germany. For this reason, we are building on a cooperation with MLT-Labortechnik from Frankfurt. Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Ullrich is the expert in Germany here – he also does risk assessment.
Digitalisation and biosafety – how do the two complement each other?
Dl Christian Lorenz: We specialise in both areas and have been able to build up a great deal of expertise in both. Ultimately, biosafety and digitalisation are intertwined: In the digital twin I can simulate conditions that provide important insights for the field.
What are your conclusions from the current situation?
Dl Christian Lorenz: For the future, we must strive to retain what we have learned positively during this time. For example, cohesion and support for each other. Also that things may take a little longer. But also that we use video conferences instead of always going to meetings. This works excellently at the moment.
In business terms, I expect demand for expertise in the planning and implementation of projects for highly infectious patients – the keyword being biosafety in the construction industry. In this area, we can certainly make a contribution with our knowledge.
