The air we breathe plays a crucial role in our overall health and wellbeing, which is why there’s a huge emphasis on reducing pollution as much as humanly possible. Not just for our sake, but the sake of our planet and everything that inhabits it as well. Recently, more and more employers are focusing on improving the quality of life of their employees, as they understand that it directly correlates with their performance and productivity.
A workplace with a lack of fresh air, poor ventilation and pollution from the surroundings can negatively impact not just the performance and productivity of everyone in it, but it can also negatively affect the mood of the employees, resulting in higher turnover rates, increased leave, and so on.
This is especially true for those working in construction, as construction sites are some of the most hazardous, polluted worksites. Dust, debris, as well as a wide range of chemicals and other toxic fumes, are all present on construction sites. While it may seem impossible to deal with them, there are some pieces of equipment sold by construction equipment suppliers that can be of huge help, such as industrial fans.
Industrial fans are similar to the cooling fans found in our homes, except they’re more powerful and bigger in size, and besides providing cooler air, they can blow away everything that can be hazardous to workers. Quality industrial fans bought from reputable construction equipment suppliers can provide benefits not only on construction sites, but warehouses, manufacturing plants, school environments, offices, and so on.
Proper ventilation not only reduces contaminants in the air but also expels CO2 and other toxic gases, draws in fresh air, helps control humidity levels as well as temperature. It’s recommended that the CO2 levels aren’t higher than 700 parts per million, the humidity isn’t lower than 20% and higher than 60%, and the temperature isn’t lower than 21°C and higher than 24°C in most industrial work environments. As long as you abide by these few simple rules, you can reap a lot of benefits, including:
Improved Comfort for Everyone in the Workspace
There’s nothing worse than being uncomfortable in your work environment and sweat or shiver all day long. Most of us spend a lot of our time working, and if the temperature and air quality aren’t at a comfortable level, it’s hard to stay relaxed. Focusing on the tasks at hand is much easier if we’re comfortable. Of course, you can’t expect to be as comfortable as if you’d be relaxing in an outdoor spa, but some basic level of comfort can go a long way in improving productivity and morale, which is exactly what I’ll go over in the next paragraph.
Improved Productivity and Morale
Good ventilation, proper temperature levels and good air quality can improve your decision-making skills, concentration, stamina, energy and job satisfaction, among other things. And it doesn’t just have to do with everyone in the workspace being bothered whether they’re too cold, hot or in a stuffy atmosphere. Higher levels of oxygen and reduced levels of CO2 help our brains perform at peak levels. In fact, this is backed up by many studies that
show a direct link between air quality and decision-making performance.
Furthermore, people working in green-certified premises scored better on cognitive function tests than their colleagues working in standard premises. That being said, you might want to consider upgrading your HVAC system and improving ventilation in your worksite. The return of investment you’ll get from it can prove to be invaluable in terms of increased productivity and morale.
Reduced Sick Time
Poor air quality can lead to breathing difficulty, eye irritation, inflammation and it can worsen many other health conditions. There’s something called sick building syndrome, where people inside a poorly ventilated building with poor air quality experience a variety of symptoms only when they’re inside that particular building. For all of these reasons and more, ventilation and air quality are paramount. In fact, proper ventilation can help people stay healthy. Studies show that adjusting ventilation to the appropriate levels can decrease sick time by as much as 40%. Reduced sick time can pay for the costs of upgrading the ventilation systems in less than a year.
Regulating Energy Costs
Something that many business owners and facility managers are concerned about is cost. The associated costs with ventilation, heating and cooling systems can be significant. However, there are quite a few ways to minimise them and make the most out of these systems without making a dent in your budget. For instance, there are ERV (energy recovery ventilation) systems that transfer the humidity and temperature from exhausted, conditioned air to fresh air. This can save energy and at the same time provide for higher fresh air intake.
Furthermore, you can install demand-controlled ventilation that features sensors that can calculate the optimal airflow and adjust the ventilation. This can be very beneficial if your workspace is occupied by a different number of people at various times. For instance, a workspace with 10 people needs less ventilation than a workspace with 30 people. Lastly, you can go for variable-speed fans and compressors that feature dozens if not hundreds of different speed settings. These devices can control the temperature and airflow precisely as needed while using less energy.
Partner, Customer and Client Satisfaction
Last but not least, you want your customers and clients to be satisfied while they come in for meetings, interviews or to see the progress of the project you’re building for them. The last thing you want is them sweating due to stagnant and hot air. And it can be difficult to notice what’s off, but it’s definitely noticeable when you get into an improperly ventilated room. By putting people at ease, you’ll help your partners, customers and clients relax, and in turn, you can get more of their business at a later point. Furthermore, proper ventilation systems can help them feel fresh, and reduce bad odours. Remember, a happy customer is a returning customer.
