As an employee, you have a right to working conditions that do not pose a serious threat to your health. Poor air quality can harm you.
You can speak up and make changes when it comes to protecting your health in the workplace. Continue reading to learn how to improve poor air quality in the workplace.
Signs of Poor Air Quality
While poor indoor air quality often causes problems with the lungs, the symptoms can be more widespread than that.
- Respiratory irritation/inflammation
- Asthma flare-ups
- Reduced lung function
- Permanent lung damage
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Eye irritation
- Nose irritation
With these workplace-related problems, the symptoms are likely to subside within minutes or hours after the employee leaves the building.
Legionnaires’ Disease and Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis are two types of pneumonia that are caused by environmental issues involving breathing. They can be caused by poor air quality in the workplace.
Causes of Poor Air Quality
A variety of things may cause poor air quality. These issues might be causing the health problems listed above.
- Malfunctioning ventilation system
- Tobacco use in the building
- Cleaning products that aren’t being used properly
- Dust buildup that isn’t being routinely cleaned
- Mold and mildew from an old leak that wasn’t taken care of
- Pesticides being used in the building
- Construction or remodeling being done to the building
None of these things are permanent and all of them can be fixed with the right resources.
How to Improve the Quality of Air in the Workplace
It’s important to begin improving air quality as soon as possible. Don’t hesitate to do what you can to make the workplace a safer environment for you and your coworkers.
Keep the Workplace Clean
Make sure that the workplace stays clean and that all the systems stay in working condition.
- Keep your space tidy and free of clutter
- Throw your garbage away properly
- Store food in the correct way (cold food in the fridge, dry food in an airtight container)
- Keep furniture and supplies away from vents
Install Air Purifiers When Possible
Install an air purifier whether it is in your cubicle or behind your register. Placing it wherever you spend most of your time will help to ensure that you are breathing cleaner air.
Air purifiers help with cigarette and cigar smoke as well. Check out this link to find the best air purifier for cigar smoke.
These purifiers will provide you with the cleanest air in the workplace regardless of what might be causing your poor air quality.
It’s important to discover and correct the underlying cause of the poor air and fix it to prevent future problems. This will prevent issues not only with air quality in the workplace but also personal health problems from breathing in the bad air.
Report Any Problems You Might Find
If you notice any issues that might be causing the workplace to have poor air quality, then you need to fix the issue. When you do fix something, make sure you tell your superior that there was a problem that has been solved.
If you find that you cannot solve the problem, then you need to report it to building management who can fix it.
Go Green, Breathe Clean
Make sure you do whatever you can to improve poor air quality in the workplace for your wellbeing and that of your coworkers or your employees. Your health is important.
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