New York State Hero Law

The New York State HERO Act was passed by the New York State legislature and signed into law on May 5th, 2021. The law mandates extensive new workplace health and safety protections in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The law is designed to protect employees against exposure and disease during an airborne infectious disease outbreak.

Due to the requirements of the law, Governor Kathy Hochul designated COVID-19 as an airborne infectious disease requiring employers to implement workplace safety plans. The state has provided a template for office managers to use for their plans. Offices may use the template provided or create their own that meets or exceeds the standards of the law.

The plan outlines responsibilities, exposure controls, housekeeping, infection response, training, plan evaluations, and retaliation protections for employees who, in good faith, report violations. In the exposure control section, part 2B includes “Install automatic disinfection systems (e.g., ultraviolet light disinfection systems).”

While ultraviolet light will disinfect an area, UV light cannot be used when people are in an office. The ultraviolet lights sold are said to be UVC, however, they do emit some UVB as well. UVB is the form of ultraviolet light that causes sunburns, skin cancer, and has other side effects such as causing cataracts. Even if UVC lights emit a low dose of UVB, the effects of UVB are cumulative and are unsafe for people to be exposed to. This is why it is recommended for everyone to wear sunscreen while they are outdoors. The cumulative effects of UVB are extremely dangerous over time.

The problem with a UV solution is that as soon as people come to the office the air and surfaces can potentially be contaminated and turning on the UV light is not an option until everyone leaves. It is good practice for people to stay home while they are sick. The problem with COVID is that scientists believe that people with COVID are at their most contagious about 24 hours before they start to show symptoms. As with many illnesses, once the symptoms start to show, it is already too late.

Our disinfection systems do not utilize ultraviolet light, so they can be run continuously even when people are in the office.

ActivePure Technology isn’t waiting for the virus to come to it. Our Active Air Disinfection Units bring the fight to the virus itself. Based on technology used on the Space Shuttles, ActivePure duplicates the atmosphere's natural cleaning processes, filling the room with oxidative particles that continuously break down airborne pathogens that they come in contact within the air and on surfaces.

The hydroxyl radicals at the heart of our system will destroy organic material such as viruses and bacteria, and they are perfectly safe for us to be around. We have all been exposed to hydroxyl radicals our entire lives. They are in the outdoor air and they are absolutely harmless to us, our pets, and even the plants and flowers we keep in our homes and offices.

If you are in close proximity to a contagious person, you are still at risk of becoming infected yourself, which is why masks and distancing are still important. However, FDA compliant lab tests have shown that our Active Air Disinfection Units with ActivePure technology, will eliminate 99.96% of COVID virus particles in three minutes. With ActivePure, you do not have to wait until the end of the day to sanitize your area. Our units will continuously protect you by attacking viruses in the air and on the surfaces all around you.