Making buildings safe for workers is definitely a subject high on the list of business priorities at the moment as we are all being encouraged to leave remote working behind and head back to the office.
COVID-19 is unsurprisingly stealing the majority of headlines. Of course we all have a duty to limit the spread of the disease throughout the workplace, but there are other air-related issues which should also be addressed to minimise the wider risk to health amongst office-based employees.
With the current strong focus on the air that we breathe, we may actually have been presented with an opportunity to understand just how essential a high quality, clean office atmosphere is to the well-being of our workforce, even when this current pandemic has subsided.
COVID-19
There are steps which companies can take to reduce the risk of transmission from person to person, including the introduction of additional distancing, frequent hand washing and sanitisation and effective cleaning with a proven disinfectant to remove the virus from hard and soft surfaces.
But what about the air being re-circulated amongst the staff within a building? Standard air filtration may reduce some contaminants from the airstream, however in the case of COVID-19 we are dealing with nano-sized particles which simply pass through standard traditional filters and survive and multiply in the indoor environment.
SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS)
SBS is the name for a collection of symptoms caused by poor air quality. Ranging in severity from person to person, these include headaches, pains, nausea, fatigue and a lack of concentration. It is thought that anywhere up to 30% of modern office buildings are affected due to the push for energy efficiency and the resultant reduction in a fresh air intake.
Indoor air is around 50% more polluted than that found outdoors, thanks to the concentration of natural airborne hazards and the addition of harmful manmade substances such as VOC gases from cleaning chemicals. It’s therefore not difficult to see why SBS is a real risk to employee health. In fact, it is known to result in increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, poor morale and high staff turnover. Left unaddressed the implication and cost to businesses can be immense, especially at a time when many are already struggling to balance the books.
THE GENANO SOLUTION
At KSG Health we know about air quality. We know that it takes something more than just standard filtration to remove harmful pollutants – including bacteria, viruses, moulds and hazardous chemical vapours – and that’s why we supply only Genano air purification devices.
Genano Technology® is already used worldwide where clean air is essential, for example in hospitals, laboratories, industrial complexes and buildings, even where Sick Building Syndrome has been identified. The patented systems eliminate contamination down to nano-sized particles – the only way to be sure that micro-organisms and fine pollutants cannot present a risk to the health and well-being of staff.
If you would like to find out more about the Genano clean, safe air solutions then contact a member of the KSG Health team.