How to improve indoor air quality in the workplace

There are few worse feelings than slogging through your workday in an unbreathable indoor work environment. As we’ve previously stated on the ESG blog, indoor air quality has a direct impact on workplace productivity. What are some ways to improve your breathing conditions while you work?

Minimize your controllable pollutants

The little things add up and we can often control them ourselves. Try to purchase and use “green” or natural cleaning products to release fewer chemicals into your office atmosphere. Disposing of garbage quickly, storing food in the proper places and ensuring your doormats don’t trap too much dirt from outside will add up to make a solid impact on your indoor air quality.

Be aware of ventilation points when arranging furniture

An easy way to get your employees breathing polluted, stale air: accidentally covering your vents with desks, tables, chairs and so on. You can waste a perfectly good ail filtration or ventilation system if you don’t keep it exposed and let it do its job.

Maintain active communication with maintenance staff

Keeping in touch and in harmony with your custodial or maintenance staff can go a long way. If they’re in tune with you, they’ll do a better job of regularly checking and cleaning all major ventilation areas.

Hire outside help to give your workplace a clean sweep

To really give your workplace A+ indoor air quality, contract an environmental consulting firm to do an expert assessment and major sweep of your building. They’ll identify any ventilation hindrances and go above and beyond what custodial staff can do, including mold, asbestos, radon and lead testing. Scheduling this type of maintenance will also get your employees out of the building to breathe fresher air for a little while.

During the hot, sticky summer, building maintenance is especially important for your indoor air! Follow those tips and you – plus your employees – won’t be sorry.

Environmental Services Group is a cutting edge environmental consulting firm based in Toronto and servicing both the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario. We provide state-of-the-art, industry-leading expertise in remedying environmental hazards such as mold, lead, asbestos and much more. Call 416-575-6111 or visit our website today for a pressure-free initial consultation. You’ll be glad you did!