EHS and Indoor Air Quality:
Why is EHS – Indoor Air Quality Important?
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is an important concern for EHS (Environmental health and safety) at a work place and various corporate organizations are taking indoor air quality as a major threat to their employees.
Many factors are responsible for poor indoor air quality such as inappropriate ventilation, yeast and molds, dust, chemical finishes in the facility such as newly painted walls, new carpets, new wooden fittings which emit TVOC’s. These issues decrease productivity and occupant satisfaction and also contribute to increased healthcare and building operation costs.
All Building facility Managers, facility consultant, Building owners and employers are advised to provide good air quality to their employees / Occupants.
EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) policies are meant to protect the employees or occupant from uncertain threat of any uncertain harmful factors and indoor air quality is considered as a major concern for employee health or occupants.
Investigation of air quality problems is not an easy task. The EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) Approach to air quality investigations follows the method developed by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational safety & Health) in their publication named as Guidance for indoor air quality investigations. NIOSH technique is the best described as one of exclusion. This investigation tries to narrow down the possible problem causes.
Poor indoor Air Quality causes the following symptoms,
Upper Respiratory Irritation
Congestion
Headaches
Nausea
Fatigue
Itchy or Watery eyes
Deputation of EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) staff in any organization is important for the following objectives,
To maintain indoor air quality within acceptable levels according to consensus guidelines.
To identify any potential health hazards due to bad indoor air quality
To respond to indoor air quality concerns effectively and to make recommendations for improvement
To provide information to personnel with IAQ concerns on what they can expect.
To get insights about Indoor Air Quality parameters, click here (opens in a new window)
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring is a crucial part handled by EHS (Environmental Health & Safety) staff in any organisation and essential for employees’ health.
