Life in the current age is mainly characterized by one spent mostly indoors; whether people work in office buildings, attend schools, or stay at home – the average time spent outdoors has significantly decreased in the last few decades. In fact, even the commute to and from work has almost entirely switched over to public or private transport. Now, individuals may spend weeks on end and only gain a few, previously vital hours of outdoor air in total. Hence, the importance of the indoor air quality we breathe in so frequently becomes paramount.
This air must be healthy, clean, and non-congested. The quality of this indoor air must become the best substitute to clean, fresh outdoor air as is reasonably possible.
Given that exhaust fumes, harmful toxins, and dangerous contagions now heavily pollute and clog our average outdoor environment, indoor air may quite easily become the next-best alternative for a typical individual, looking to preserve healthy lungs and overall vitality. So how is it possible to improve and maintain the quality of indoor air, and that too in a cost-effective way under a short duration of time?
- Prohibit smoking
- Open windows
- Stay cautious
Prohibiting Indoor Smoking
Smoking may prove to be a dangerously-harmful habit to you, and those that surround you. A standard cigarette may hold up to 4000 different chemicals – and most of them are proven carcinogens.
Second-hand smoking may cause nearly as much harm to the lungs and body as first-hand smoking. Enforce a strict rule that disallows smoking indoors.
Smokers may preferably be prohibited from the practice entirely during work hours.
However, if this proves to be a difficult rule to follow through with, you may request smokers to carry their business outdoors or assign a separate break room for employees that prefer to have a quick smoke now and then.
Opening Windows
This particular tip may not work for all workspaces; individual offices situated in buildings located on busy thoroughfares and highways. The incessant noise and exhaust fumes may negate the purpose of opening windows: of allowing peaceful, fresh outdoor air to filter through.
With the current climate in Northern Virginia middling at both cold and wet, throwing open the windows may not prove to be a sustainable strategy.
If such is the case, your company may opt to enlist the professional services of an HVAC business.
Duct cleaning is an example of one such service that such experts provide.
Employing the use of professional brushes and cleaning tools, ventilation ducts, grilles, fans, motors, and the like are thoroughly cleaned and removed from dust and harmful particles.
Duct cleaning significantly improves the quality of breathable indoor air and ensures the longevity and smooth functioning of a typical HVAC system.
If, however, your offices are located someplace quiet and relatively clean, you may opt to open the windows, and use outdoor air to your best advantage.
Staying Cautious
Government jurisdiction in Northern VA now makes it a legal responsibility of business owners to pay close attention to HVAC systems and indoor air quality, to maintain the overall well-being of all employees within the workplace.
Quite apart from enlisting the professional help of experts, the workplace may also benefit from careful handling and cautionary measures.
Proper and efficient garbage and waste disposal systems should be operational in the workplace.
If the office space contains a small kitchen, food items must be routinely checked and stocked according to health and safety guidelines. Expired products or rotting food should be disposed of immediately.
If the workplace is an industrial plant, then ample safety and protective measures should detail how harmful substances and toxic materials are to be handled and disposed of. Give employees access to emergency protective wear, including plastic goggles, aprons, and masks.