4 tips for cleaner and healthier indoor air at your workplace

2023-08-15 |

Air Cleaners,
General

According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we spend about 90% of our time indoors, half of that time in the workplace. Furthermore, studies conducted by the EPA and others show that indoor environments are often more polluted than outside.

Let’s put things into some perspective. Did you know we eat around 1 kg of food daily and breathe as much as 11 000 liters a day? We typically pay a lot of attention to the food we eat. Let us shine some light on the importance of clean indoor air, and how it can improve our health and productivity. Let’s start with the workplace.

What is indoor air quality?

The condition of the air within a building and how it impacts the health, comfort, and work performance of the people inside is often referred to as Indoor air quality (IAQ). It is an important matter for both businesses and employees at a workplace since the indoor air quality can profoundly effect the health and productivity of the people working there.

What factors contribute to bad indoor air quality?

Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. While some outdoor pollutants can be visible, many indoor pollutants are entirely invisible. Many factors affect indoor air quality, including cigarette smoke, dust, mould, and chemical pollutants inside and outside, just to mention a few.

What benefits do clean indoor air have?

Ensuring healthy indoor air in your workplace have several benefits:

1. Enhanced employee health:

Cleaner air reduces the presence of pollutants and allergens, viruses and bacteria, contributing to improved respiratory health and fewer allergies or respiratory issues, as well as decreased transmission of viruses and bacteria.

2. Increased productivity:

Breathing clean air enhances cognitive function, which leads to better focus, improved concentration, and consequently, higher work productivity.

3. Reduced absenteeism:

Cleaner air minimizes the spread of illnesses, resulting in fewer sick days and a more consistent and engaged workforce.

4. Positive work environment:

In addition, good air quality can add to a positive atmosphere, leading to higher job satisfaction and a better overall workplace culture.

4 tips on improving the indoor air in your workplace

1. Analyze your premises

Make a risk assessment and analyze the air in the workplace. How large are the premises, how many people stay in the room, what activities take place, what does the ventilation system look like, what sources of pollution are there etc.

2. Ventilate properly

Each workplace should have a ventilation system adapted to the specific needs of the workplace. It should be switched on two hours before the start of the working day and switched off no earlier than two hours after the last person has left the building.

3. Measure the air quality

Make sure to measure the indoor air regularly, circumstances change, and solutions may need to be adjusted.

4. Consider the use of air cleaners

Freestanding air cleaners capture the smallest and most hazardous particles and increase the air circulation. Choose a solution that is leak-free and doesn’t spread unfiltered air, is tailored for your specific needs and with the appropriate technology, the right filters, sufficient capacity, and make sure it is positioned correctly in the room. The dimensioning of the air cleaner should be so the air in the room will pass through the air cleaner at least 3 times per hour. The more times the air pass through the air cleaner – the cleaner room you will get.

Ensuring clean indoor air – for a good working environment

Ensuring a good working environment for employees is often the responsibility of the employer. While ensuring a good working environment can involve everything from optimal lighting, flexible working conditions, health insurance and competence development etc, making sure that the air in the workplace is clean, is not always one of them. We believe it should be.