Our business is considered essential therefore is still operating during lockdown. The question of whether we can use large portable fans in our production facility has arisen during the warmer weather. Some feel they will blow germs around, others feel that they will dilute the air. Can anyone offer any advice on whether this is a good idea in the current situation?

What did you do during last years "heatwave"?

Your employees are not meant to be at work if they have the virus so which "germs" are you anticipating being blown around?

Is your building so badly laid out that natural ventilation is insufficient and requires augmentation?

Unless these blowers are ducted externallly they are not diluting the air merely moving what is present.

By contrast our facility has roller shutter doors that open and close every time an FLT goes to collect materials from the yard or load waggons. The prevalent wind direction blows through the factory - how would you suggest I stop the weather?

Instead of trying to blow a gale through the facility have smaller air movers local to any work station where the employee is claiming heat distress OR allow for more frequent breaks and plenty of fluids as happened during last years "heatwave".

Nobody really knows the answer to this.  There is evidence that people who work in areas where air is routinely moved about eg with fans seems to get more respiratory infections (colds and the like) But nobody is sure if this is due more “germs” in the air or due to for example the drying out of nasal passages which might make it easier for the existing “germs” to infect people.

Ideally the ventilation system should either take the stale (contaminated) air out of the building, like Roundtuit suggests, or you install some form of air conditioning that filters the air before it comes back into the room.  Remember it’s not just Covid 19: this has been an issue long before that.