Health and productivity can take a hit in a workplace with poor air quality.
In 2015 researchers from Syracuse New York carried out a double blind study which evaluated the cognitive performance of participants exposed to conditions in a laboratory setting. These settings were closely monitored to simulate those found in conventional and green buildings as well as green buildings with enhanced ventilation.
Researchers measured cognitive functions such as basic, applied and focused activity levels; task orientation; crisis response; information seeking; informative usage; breadth of approach and strategy.
Crisis response scores were measured at 97% higher in spaces with better indoor air quality associated with green buildings, Information usage was 172% to 299% higher in areas with better indoor air quality and for strategy, scores were 183% to 288% higher than in conventional office environments.
Following on from the Syracuse study, researchers from Denmark in 2016 decided to carry out both laboratory studies and field intervention studies. What they found was a stark difference between laboratory results and field results, however the field results were still significant.
While the affects in the real world were far lower, they measured an average of a 10% increase in productivity in an office environment where in door air quality was monitored and improved.
"Negative indoor environmental effects on performance were accompanied by negative effects on general symptoms such as headaches and concentration"
The negative effects have given rise to "presenteeism" that is workers who come to work and are not achieving at their highest potential due to illness. The impact of presenteeisim has also been studied and in one example an Australian insurance company Medibank estimates the overall cost to be A$34.1 billion per annum. This equates to a decrease in gross domestic product of 2.7%.
Indoor air quality in office spaces is now receiving more attention, gone are the days of assuming that a certain number of air changes and hour will accomplish an environment healthy to work in and that is conducive to performance. Regular filter changes associated with pressure drop are key to managing both air quality and energy efficiency of a building and in those buildings where high volume air conditioning is dated we can introduce other measures to compensate for poor indoor air quality.
There are IQAir air purifiers to suit a number of office scenarios. The HealthPro portable units that can service up to 90m2, the HealthPro 250 units have the added ability to scrub odour and volatile organic compounds from the air and larger wall mounted CleanZone units for spaces larger than 90m2. For your personal space, the Atem portable air purifier for office and travel.
IQAir have 55 years experience in air purification and are the worlds leading brand in purification and performance. IQAir HealthPro units are tested in the factory and are guaranteed to give you a total system efficiency of ≥99.97% @ ≥0.3µm. Total system efficiency is a measure of how much air bypasses the filters and leaks out of the system and IQAir is the only brand that tests this, giving you the assurance that the contaminated air going in comes out clean.
There are no gimmicks no hidden secret technologies, simple quality engineering using trusted filtration principles to deliver quality air.
Take control of the air you breathe in your office environment today, call or email us at Filtercorp Health. We can assess your office environment and make recommendations on how you can improve your air quality.
References
- The effects of indoor air quality on performance and productivity. David P Wyon, Technical University of Denmark, 2004.
- Associations of cognitive function scores with carbon dioxide, ventilation and volatile organic compound exposures in office workers. JG Allen, P MacNaughton, U Satish, S Santanam, J Vallarino and JD Spengler. Environ Health Perspect: 2016 Jun.
- www.hrmonline.co.au/sections/strategic-hr/important-good-air-quality-office
