BLOGS

Many people fail to realize that indoor air quality matters as much as the outdoor air quality. This is especially important for workplaces where multiple people spend long hours and share the same space. However, factors like poor ventilation, chemical pollutants, dust mites, molds, and tobacco smoke affect the quality of the indoor air. According to a study in medical journal The Lancet, poor air quality due to toxic materials and carcinogens and secondhand tobacco smoke, causes 800,000 deaths every year. Sick building syndrome is also known to cause drowsiness, headaches and loss or productivity.

Here are some important insights on indoor air quality in the workplace that our in-house experts have curated:

1. Signs that your workplace doesn’t have clean air: If your employees are frequently suffering from itchy eyes, nose, and skin, headache, fatigue, cold, shortness of breath, coughing and sneezing, it is likely that your workplace does not have good indoor air quality. Employees often experience these symptoms after several hours at work. They feel better after having left the building or when they have been away from the building for holidays.
2. How indoor pollution affects the health of the employees? Some diseases like respiratory diseases, heart disease and even cancer are caused years after repeated exposure to pollutants. Short-term health effects usually show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures to a particular pollutant. The symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, itchy eyes, runny nose, frequent episodes of coughing and throat irritation. Sometimes the treatment for short-term health effects is advising the person to stay away from for a few days. But this isn’t a permanent solution as once the person returns to work, he/she may experience the symptoms again. The symptoms may even worsen or aggravate.
3. Unclean indoor air affects the bottom line: In addition to the health effects mentioned above, poor quality of indoor air leads to high absenteeism, insurance claims and employees’ compensation claims - all of which significantly impacts an organizations bottom line. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), productivity losses from missed work cost employers $225.8 billion every year. Also, a workforce that isn’t healthy can cause delays or quality issues in manufacturing processes.
4. Better ventilation can improve the quality of indoor air: Luckily, there are several ways to ensure clean air and keep employees happy and healthy in any office environment. Here are a few things that you can do to improve overall air quality at your office:
   • Ensure better ventilation: Inadequate ventilation is one of the most common causes of poor air quality at the workplace. Our heavy-duty industrial range of exhaust fans and air circulators are aerodynamically designed to provide proper air circulation. Being one of the leading exhaust fan manufacturers, we ensure that our industrial exhaust fans effectively combat indoor pollution, by drawing away smoke and odour. The robust and sturdy exhaust fans bring in fresh air and help people breathe easily.
   • Let natural air in: Whenever the weather allows, open doors and windows so that fresh air circulates within the space. You can do this once a week or fortnightly.
   • Keep the workplace clean: Ensure that there are no mold, dust, allergens, and air pollutants. Vacuum the office regularly. Use eco-friendly cleaning products that do not release harsh chemical compounds into the air. Clogged air ducts of cooling and heating systems can interrupt airflow and lead to the build-up of pollutants in enclosed spaces. Make sure they are cleaned regularly.
   • Identify the cause of indoor pollution: Depending upon the industry, workers may be at risk from exposure from certain chemicals. Make sure you take adequate steps to ensure the health safety of your employees.

In addition to improving the overall indoor air quality at your workplace, explore different wellness programs to implement at your workplace. These programs can include conducting wellness classes, fitness workshops at the premises and conducting preventive health screenings.