Keep Employees Healthy This Winter With Better Air Quality
Posted in Air Quality, on December 22, 2016
Employers or employees, we sometimes forget that half our lives are being spent in a workspace that is enclosed, and without any exposure to the outside environment. In short, employers and employees are breathing office air for eight hours or more during the day. And when that indoor air is poor quality, health is impacted. Allergy symptoms can be aggravated, worker performance can be diminished, and sick days can start to rise. For all kinds of reasons, it makes good business sense to keep employees healthy in their work environment with excellent quality indoor air.
Air quality professionals often pinpoint poor ventilation as a major problem in the workplace. It simply means that fresh outside air isn’t circulating properly throughout a given space. Even worse, a poorly performing HVAC system might be circulating air pollutants instead of cleaning the air, as it should be doing. Optimum air ventilation in any living space is critical in providing fresh air, while reducing the prevalence of air pollutants. Poor HVAC maintenance is also a culprit when it comes to poor air quality. Here, high performance air filters allow fresh air to circulate. When workers complain about indoor air quality, it’s also possible that the air-moisture level is too high. This may just be a case of high indoor humidity, but it may also point to some type of water intrusion.
Unfortunately, a moist indoor environment is the ideal breeding ground for mould. This could be something serious, and even more so when mould spores disperse through the HVAC system. When it’s diagnosed, a mould problem can turn an air quality issue from basic discomfort to something both dangerous and hazardous. This is a time for professional attention. In some workplace environments, construction and/or renovation work can affect the air quality with residual dust, airborne particles, and even off gassing from new building materials. Here, the answer is to provide air filtration equipment at the worksite, so that pollutants aren’t circulated and air quality isn’t compromised. Construction work or not, when poor air quality is reported, it’s important to take immediate action. This would be especially pertinent when the indoor air environment is negatively affecting worker health. It often means that workers have difficulty in performing their tasks, and concentrating on the work at hand - it’s just not business productive.
The truth is, poor air quality necessitates comprehensive testing. And here, an expert technician can identify the source and extent of a problem – whether it’s mould, asbestos, or any other air pollutant that can make someone sick. With reliable test data, a professional air quality firm can identify the scope of indoor air pollution, and provide options for improvement and remediation. While some business owners might decide on a DIY approach in order to save budget dollars, it will not compare with the comprehensive work that highly trained professionals can provide. The professionals do it right from the start. They thoroughly inspect the air quality issue. They provide accurate assessments/reporting. And they recommend options with effective solutions.