Gyeongnam Office of Education, Pilot Project to Improve Kitchen Ventilation Facilities 'Effective'

Engine Displacement and Flow Rate Triple, Harmful Factors Reduced by Two-Thirds

Distribution of Gyeongnam-Style Ventilation Facility Improvement Guidelines in August

On the 12th, the Gyeongnam Office of Education held the 'Final Report Meeting on the Research Service for Improvement of School Kitchen Ventilation Facilities' at the annex Gonggam Hall.

According to the provincial Office of Education, about 150 people attended the report meeting, including those in charge of meal service and facilities from the main office and education support offices, as well as officials from city and provincial offices of education nationwide.

This research service was conducted to improve the ventilation equipment in school meal kitchens and to develop a Gyeongnam-type guideline.

The final report meeting was organized to share the final ventilation performance evaluation results of pilot schools and ventilation facility improvement plans suitable for school sites, following the interim report meeting in April.

The final report meeting for the research project on improving ventilation facilities in school meal kitchens is taking place at the Gyeongnam Office of Education Annex Gonggam Hall.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Office of Education]

Since September last year, the provincial Office of Education has been conducting a pilot project evaluating the final ventilation performance of 30 schools.

The evaluation results showed that the exhaust volume and air velocity of the hood, which is the air discharge device in the kitchen, increased about threefold, while harmful factors such as fine dust decreased by about two-thirds.

In a satisfaction survey conducted on 159 meal service workers at pilot schools, 81% responded with 'satisfied' or higher.

Professor Kim Tae-hyung of Changwon University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, who conducted the research service, presented ventilation improvement measures including ▲ optimization of duct and hood design, which are pathways through which fluids like air flow inside the kitchen ▲ the importance of controlling airflow and wind volume in the kitchen ▲ and the capacity of heating and cooling devices and nozzle positions.

The provincial Office of Education plans to apply the Gyeongnam-type ventilation installation model, reflecting the results of this research service, to each school site.

Following the announcement of the four-year plan (2023?2026) for improving school meal kitchen ventilation at the end of May, the 'Gyeongnam-type Ventilation Facility Improvement Guideline' will be distributed in August.

To ensure stable implementation and smooth progress of the ventilation improvement project, support for school sites will be strengthened, including the operation of a dedicated support team.

Yoo Sang-jo, Director of the Education Welfare Division, said, “This final report is the nation’s first research service related to ventilation improvement. Based on this, we will do our best to gradually improve school kitchen ventilation facilities so that meal service workers can work safely in a better environment.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.