A new study amongst US and Canadian office workers has revealed that poor indoor air quality has serious consequences on office workers’ wellbeing, including a lack of focus and ill health.
The study of 1,500 employees revealed that 40% of workers have had to take a day off because of poor indoor air quality – and it was blamed for causing a lack of focus in half of workers.
The most commonly experienced indicators or poor indoor air quality included poor air circulation, excessive dust and a smell of chemicals. Poor air quality can cause headaches, dizziness, dry throat, and congestion, among other afflictions.
While the study was conducted across the pond, it raises questions about what we should be doing in the UK to improve the health, wellbeing and productivity of our workers.
The case for control
While the statistics make for a shocking read, the good news is that indoor air quality issues are entirely preventable through intelligent control of a building’s mechanical services.
Indoor air quality monitors and careful management of a building’s HVAC functions can go a long way in preventing air quality from becoming a health issue.
Here at BG Energy Solutions we are in the final stages of preparing V2.0 of VISTA, our popular real-time optimisation solution that allows existing building management systems to be optimised in a way that enhances their efficiency and improves conditions for employees.
V2.0 will deliver a raft of benefits for employers who wish to improve air quality, including enabling more effective control of CO2 and fine dust levels – reducing one of the most significant contributors to lung disease. Also included are new functionalities for the control of humidity levels as well as the detection of hazardous gas emissions.
If latest figures are anything to go by, it’s clear that by investing in tools that deliver healthy environments, UK workplaces will see uplifts in employee health, wellbeing and productivity.
If you’d like to know more about what we’re doing to improve the health of UK workplaces, get in touch.