Tackling the airborne threat in office environments

Research has shown that air in commercial office buildings can be up to 10 times more polluted than outside air. Christian Lickfett, director of Allergy Cosmos suggests what measures employers can take to improve air quality in the workplace

High levels of air pollution in
offices are due to a
combination of ultra fine
pollution from work processes, ‘offgassing’
from building materials,
carpets and furniture; general bacteria
and viruses; and standard airconditioning
and ventilation systems
bringing in polluted air, such as microparticles
from traffic and industry
pollution.

When you consider that employees
spend eight or more hours a day at the
office, five days a week, it’s easy to see
how poor air quality in the workplace
might contribute to lower productivity
and increased sick days. In fact,
roughly 12 million sick days a year are
taken due to asthma-related conditions,
which are commonly triggered by poor
indoor air quality.

Usually invisible, evidence of air
pollution is normally only found indoors
where it settles as dust or a layer of grime
on furniture and other surfaces. In fact,
air pollution is a complex mixture of
liquid droplets and solid particles that
are all around us.

Most employers are not aware of the
severe impact that indoor air pollution
can have on their employees’ wellbeing,
but poor indoor air quality is associated
with a number of health problems, such
as asthma and other allergies, multiple
chemical sensitivity, respiratory
problems, heart disease, and lung cancer.

And with most Britons spending a
large proportion of the day indoors in an
office environment, indoor air quality
should be a major concern for
businesses, building managers, tenants,
and employees because it can impact on
the health, comfort and productivity of
building occupants.

Ensuring a safe and healthy
environment through integrating air
quality control into an office building’s
health and safety programme is an
important step in countering the problem,
thereby avoiding health claims, saving
money from staff sick days and improving
happiness and well being.

Air pollution takes root in an office
from a variety of sources such as
industrial and traffic pollution, pollen,
dust mite allergens, building materials and
furnishings, occupants’ activities, and
even from office equipment. We have all
read about high levels of pollution in the
UK’s urban environments, but what is
perhaps more surprising is that pollution
‘micron’ readings can be higher indoors
than outside by busy roads. In offices air
contaminants generated outdoors are
frequently brought into the building
through its own ventilation and air
conditioning systems, and everyday
activities like printing and copying can
also produce further particles.

To avoid reduced productivity and
with the number of allergy sufferers
steadily increasing over the last two
decades – employers must take measures
to improve air quality in the workplace.

This can be achieved through small
improvements to office practice and
layout to installing high quality and
effective air purifiers.