In the period of COVID-19, the quality of the air we breathe in the office environment is even more important. According to the research of the World Health Organization, since the coronavirus is smaller than 10 microns, its particles can hang in the air for 40-50 hours. The importance of indoor air quality for human health became even more prominent during the pandemic period. With small changes that can be made in the office, you can protect the health of your employees and create more efficient working environments for them.
On the other hand, the quality of the air we breathe is an issue that is often overlooked to create a healthier and more efficient working environment. Although we can easily detect bad weather outside, we get used to working hours of unpleasant odours in the office environment. According to the research of the US Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is 2-5 times more intense than outdoor air, sometimes even up to a hundred times. Therefore, it is of great importance to raise awareness on this issue for the employees to continue their work healthily and efficiently.
The underlying reason for the problems experienced in office indoor air quality is that indoor air quality measurements are not performed regularly or at all in offices. When we look at the factors that negatively affect the air quality in the office; There are many reasons such as low area per person and windows cannot be opened due to variable weather conditions. In this case, low-quality air breathed for hours causes fatigue, headache and low motivation in employees. Therefore, measuring data such as carbon dioxide ratio, temperature and humidity in indoor environments will make a significant contribution to the improvement of the office environment.
One of the other reasons affecting indoor air quality is the pollutants coming from outside. Although comprehensive tests are needed to fully measure indoor air quality, it is an undeniable fact that it negatively affects working conditions in cities with high air pollution. On the other hand, not regularly maintaining the cooling and heating systems makes the building more vulnerable to harmful particles from outside. In other words, many unaccounted factors, from photocopiers to office cleaning materials, seriously affect the air quality in the office.
Solution offers
Even small changes in your office will help you significantly improve office indoor air quality. We can list these solutions as follows: