With over thirty-one million small businesses in the United States, taking care of your workers is essential. Whether you have a handful of employees or a full payroll, keeping your workplace safe for workers is crucial to running a successful business.
Poor indoor air quality can have a massive impact on the health of your workers. If the air quality in your workplace is poor, you’ll experience both a decrease in productivity and an increase in health-related issues that employees experience.
Rather than subjecting your workers to poor conditions, you can ensure they have the best air quality when they do their jobs. If you’re unsure how to provide healthy and breathable air in your workplace, keep reading. You’ll learn easy ways to guarantee a healthy environment.
Keep Clean
One of the most essential ways to improve the air quality in your workplace is to keep your space clean. Not only will cleanliness improve the mental health of your employees, but it can also reduce respiratory illnesses.
Reducing clutter is a significant first step to eliminating areas where dust and dirt can accumulate. Reducing the amount of clutter makes cleaning easier, as you’re less likely to miss spots under piles of papers. Also, reducing clutter can help decrease anxiety, making it a win-win situation.
If you have carpet installed in your office, ensuring that it’s regularly vacuumed can help contribute to improved air quality. Many small business owners assume that their carpets are clean if there is no visible dirt. However, dust can nestle into the fibers and enter the air when stepped on.
Dirt, dust, and grime can settle into hidden areas. Ensuring that you deep clean frequently can help reduce the number of pollutants and allergens in your workplace. Don’t forget baseboards, the top of equipment, and light fixtures.
Finally, many cut corners when cleaning, only wiping down visible areas. However, dust can accumulate on out-of-sight surfaces, so staying vigilant is essential to ensuring a clean workplace.
Invest in Air Purifiers
One of the best ways to eliminate pollutants from the air is with air purifiers. Though cleaning can eliminate large particles, there are still microscopic allergens lurking in your workplace, which can wreak havoc on your employee’s health.
Purifiers work by sanitizing the air, effectively reducing the number of toxins and dust in the air. They use a fan to suck air in, which is then sent through a number of filters before the air is recirculated back into the workplace.
However, when looking into these devices, you’ll need to ensure you pick the correct size. Commercial air purifiers are significantly larger than those intended for home use, so you’ll need to guarantee that you’re purchasing the proper size.
If you’re working in a location that handles large amounts of carbon emissions, you’ll want to look into a more sophisticated DAC system. This direct air capture technology pulls CO2 out of the air into a collection container to help reduce climate change.
Reduce Pollutants
One of the best ways to improve air quality in your workplace is to undergo prevention methods. Not only does this help the environment, but it helps your employees! Though this may seem like it will cost you big time, you can actually save money with many of these prevention techniques.
For example, when buying furniture for your business, avoid buying new. This is due to the fact that there are chemicals used to manufacture furniture, which are then emitted throughout your business. Buying secondhand items reduces the amount of chemicals emitted.
Another great way to keep your air high-quality is to pay attention to the products you use. This includes paints, cleaning products, and even air fresheners.
When possible, use eco-friendly cleaning products. While this may not be viable for all trades, swapping products where you can reduces harsh chemicals from entering the air. However, you’ll need to ensure you still follow company standards when cleaning and disinfecting.
Similarly, when refreshing your business, buying non-toxic pain can work wonders. When you opt for volatile organic compounds in your products, it can help keep your air fresher.
Doing your best to decrease these chemicals in your workplace will make it easier to keep your air clean.
Increase Ventilation
Whether you’re handling chemicals or not, ensuring your business is properly ventilated is crucial for the health of your employees.
One of the easiest ways to ensure your workplace is ventilated is to open doors and windows. This allows fresh air to enter, helping your employees breathe clean air.
However, you’ll want to ensure that the air quality outside is up to standard. In many large cities, the air quality outdoors is worse than inside. Opening doors and windows can be counter-effective.
If opening the doors is not an option, whether due to the outdoor air quality or the temperature, you can rely on mechanical ventilation. This works by bringing the outdoor air inside while removing the stale indoor air. You’ll need to ensure that you’re mechanical ventilation is equipped with high-quality filters.
Also, installing fans can help circulate the air around your workplace. When combined with high-quality mechanical or natural ventilation, this can push air out while allowing fresh air in.
High-Quality Filters
As previously mentioned, many devices in your business require filters. From your HVAC system to the best air purifiers, ensuring the filters are high-quality is crucial.
These filters work to trap tiny particles invisible to the naked eye. While there are many types of filters, they are commonly made of paper, fiberglass, foam, and plastic.
However, you’ll also need to ensure that these are cleaned or replaced. It’s great to invest in high-quality filters, but leaving them caked with dirt, dust, and toxins makes them ineffective.
Luckily, you may be able to DIY cleaning. In most instances, you can remove the filter when the system is off and vacuum, wash, and dry the filter to ensure its efficiency.
Inspect Ducts
One area that a large or small business owner is likely to forget is their air ducts. These ducts are connected to your HVAC system, thus playing a crucial role in moving air around your building.
Regularly inspecting your ducts for leaks, mold, and dirt can help ensure that you’re providing the best air quality for your workers. Often, these are out of sight and can become neglected.
When your air ducts are caked in dust or mold, those particles are distributed and circulated throughout your whole business. This increases the likelihood of illness immensely.
Not only does it affect your workers, but it also negates all of the other measures and steps you’ve taken to help purify the air in your home. This is a central system, so it’s one of the most crucial areas to keep clean.
You’ll want to begin by looking into ducts that you can easily access. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, addressing the issue immediately is essential.
Defeat Dampness
Finally, one of the most effective ways to improve air quality is by reducing moisture in the air of your workplace. Whether you live in a naturally humid, rainy climate or a leaky pipe causes an increase in water, reducing moisture is essential.
Not only can dampness cause damage to your workplace by weakening structures and posing a safety hazard, but it can also harbor bacteria and bugs. Most commonly, damp areas lead to harmful mold.
When inhaled, mold can have adverse respiratory side effects, so eliminating moisture before growth can occur is essential. In some instances, you may need to hire a professional mold removal company to eradicate extensive mold.
One of the easiest ways to reduce mold is to address the source. Fixing any leaks or gaps where moisture can enter helps prevent water from accumulating.
If you live in a humid area, installing dehumidifiers can remove moisture from the air, while fans can help remove moisture from surfaces. It’s essential not to let dampness go unnoticed.
Invest in Improving Indoor Air Quality at Your Workplace
When it comes to improving indoor air quality in your business, keeping these tips in mind is crucial. Not only does it reduce the number of sick days your employees take, thus increasing productivity, but showing you care about the health and well-being of workers helps create a positive workplace culture.
If you’re ready to take the next step in ensuring your company is a safe and healthy environment thanks to this guide, you’ll want to visit the rest of our website. There, you’ll find more helpful business tips and tricks.
