During modern times, most people spend 90% of their times indoors. Hence the topic of clean and pollution-free indoors is more important to humans now than at any time in the past. Controlling air pollution t workplace is the responsibility of employers. Through the right measures, they need to take steps to comply with the pollution check standards and also implement some best practices in the workplace so that the employees enjoy a good environment to work. Since air pollution can affect the health of employees as well as their productivity, employers must take a keen and active interest in making the working environment pollution free and conducive to enhancing productivity.
What are the concerns?
Depending on the type and nature of the business or organization, the kind of pollutants can vary between different workplaces. The major health threats are present at places that deal with toxins like manufacturing, chemical plants, hospitals, automotive repair outlets, and others. These places are usually monitored by the authorities from the pollution control board. Nevertheless, office environments also pose air pollution risks and are often highly neglected. The strategies that are implemented to deal with air pollution inside the offices are often less effective. Here are a few tips to reduce air pollution at work.
Tips to reduce air pollution at work
- These days most buildings for work are built-in an airtight manner. Though this can help in regulating the temperature by reducing the amount of heating and air conditioning required to maintain the ideal needs, this kind of set up can lead to the trapping of harmful chemicals inside the workplace. This situation makes the interiors of the workplace, dirtier than the outdoors. Bring in some best practices in construction and interior designing so that as less dirt as possible is accumulated inside.
- Invest adequate funds for improving the ventilation at the office. In our preoccupation with building airtight and energy-efficient buildings, we often neglect the need to install proper ventilation arrangements. Poor quality of air inside the workplace can reduce the oxygen flow to the brains making the workers feel tired and unproductive. Going for the right kind of ventilation systems can help improve the quality of air inside the workplace.
- Arrange to keep as many harmful chemicals as possible outside the office premises. Instead of using the cooking equipment at work, let the employees bring cooked lunch from their homes. At times of cleaning, keep the windows wide open so that the hazardous chemicals can escape.
- Encourage practices that will let the workers spend as much time as possible outdoors. Introducing lunch breaks for breathing in the fresh air can be one such help. During meetings and gatherings, ensure the environment is as ventilated as possible.
- Indoor air pollution is often a neglected topic. The quality of air inside the workplace is not only hazardous to the health of the employees, but it can also reduce productivity. Hence implement the right practices inside your workplace to see that the quality of air is significantly enhanced.
