We devote at least 40 hours a week at the office and can only hope that the environment we work in is being kept safe for us. That includes having healthy indoor air quality, which has been shown in studies to have an impact on work output.
Assuring healthy air puts employees at ease, knowing that they’re being accounted for while they’re away from their homes. Here are just a few ways to improve the air quality in your office building in a quick and efficient fashion.
1. Cleaning Your Filters
When you change or clean your air filter regularly, your office will be cleaner too. A clogged or dirty air filter allows dust and pollen to build up, allowing contaminants and allergens to linger that can aggravate symptoms for people with asthma, allergies, or other illnesses.
A clean air filter can also be beneficial to the overall efficiency of an HVAC unit. Regular filter maintenance leads to fewer needed repairs, as contaminants and dust aren’t blocking ductwork and components of the unit to cause it to function improperly. When your HVAC system experiences restricted airflow, it’s forced to rely on more energy for the furnace or air conditioner to get to the desired temperature, sending energy costs soaring and draining your savings account.
Regular maintenance for clogged or dirty air filters keeps contaminants from putting your health at risk while you sit at your desk. Changing filters and having yearly maintenance performed by a qualified HVAC technician makes it so you don’t have to worry about the system breaking down and the proper type of filter is being used.
2. Eliminating Environmental Contaminants
If you have poor indoor air quality, you may find that you and your fellow employees are suffering from allergy-like symptoms like watery eyes, sneezing, and a scratchy throat. If an air filter isn’t properly changed or an HVAC system goes uncared for, it could even lead to more severe symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath.
Beyond the usual suspects like dust and lint, dirty filters and other environmental hazards could be impacting air quality. Animal droppings brought on by rodents can leave you inhaling these things. It’s important for an office building to seal off any leaks that may let these critters in. Regularly having trash taken out is a must, especially with perishable items from the day.
If you or your co-workers are smokers, indoor air can be ruined by the lingering odor of tobacco, even if it’s secondhand. Buildings should work to have designated areas outside of the office where smokers can indulge but keep it away from anywhere that could impact proper cross ventilation to help with clean air. There are no cons to a clean environment.
3. Working with Management
The truth is that caring for workers and the environment being created at the office is a good idea for any manager. A clogged air filter or duct is a simple fix, and just having concern over employees’ overall health could produce a better effort on tasks. Working with a building manager to ensure clean air creates a safer environment, beyond just replacing the air filters.
The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, encourages building management to develop a preventive indoor air quality management program. This includes working with management, and even contractors, before any remodels to ensure that the air distribution system is not disrupted, creating issues with ducts or HVAC filters.
This can allow for a good place to function during the day. For stockbrokers and those working with financial products, you can have more time to look into the best platforms for experienced investors. Better airflow means better customer service and better decisions made on an investing platform. Cleaner air helps you think clearer, so take the steps today to make for healthier indoor air quality in your office building.