October is the U.S.'s nationally recognized Healthy Lung Month--the perfect time to reflect on and assess the state and impact of indoor air quality in our public facilities, offices, and classrooms.
The Need for Clean Indoor Air
Indoor air quality (IAQ) dramatically impacts occupant health, wellness, and performance.
Cleaner classrooms correspond directly to higher quality indoor air--impacting student health, attendance, cognitive functions, test scores, behavior, and long-term life outcomes.
The Clean Schools Better Outcomes Pipeline
Recently, much has been made regarding the alleged pipeline from public schools to potentially socially undesirable outcomes.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the value of clean indoor air, especially in classrooms where indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a critical role in student's long-term success, health, and life outcomes.
The Post-COVID Demand for Clean Indoor Air Continues
Cleaning and sanitizing had minimal impact on the spread and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.
Winter is rapidly approaching, so it's time to start focusing on enhanced environmental cleaning practices to prevent the transmission of seasonal germs.
The Importance of Environmental Cleaning for Seasonal Illness Prevention
The intent behind cleaning for health practices is to remove unwanted soil and other microbes from a built environment, resulting in improved occupant health and safety.
Restroom issues make up a substantial percentage of facilities maintenance and janitorial requests--much of which originates from odors emanating from bathroom stalls.
The Impact of Restroom Odors on Indoor Air Quality
Restroom air quality directly impacts how occupants view a facility, the facilities management, how that management treats their employees, and the probable quality of the goods and services sold at that establishment.
Air pollution represents the single greatest environmental threat to human health, and according to recent data, workers are concerned with the direction businesses and other organizations are heading in.
Concerning IAQ Trends in the Workplace
September 7th, 2022, marks the United Nations' International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) off-gas from products commonly used or found in public facilities, resulting in decreased indoor air quality (IAQ), occupant health and productivity, and organizational performance.
California's Revised VOC Regulations
The State of California recently completed its revisions to the state's Regulations for Reducing VOC Emissions from Consumer Products.
Germs spread rapidly in office and classroom settings, particularly where low-quality indoor air and surface hygiene combine with employees and students coming in sick and contagious.
How Are Germs Spread?
Germs in office and classroom environments typically spread in one of two ways: surface contact or air.
Facility flooding due to burst pipes or natural causes requires swift action to prevent costly additional damage to the built environment and a range of health and safety concerns, including infection and exposure to non-biological contaminants.
The Dangers of Flood Damage to Facilities and Occupants
Depending on the source, flood waters can potentially carry a host of biological and non-biological contaminants, including:
Bacteria.
A growing number of studies have established a strong correlation between workplace cleanliness, occupant wellbeing, and workforce productivity.
The Impact of Stress and Employee Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace
Data gathered by mental health experts establish a strong connection between workforce mental health challenges and significant reductions in workplace productivity, resulting in billions of dollars in annual losses to the U.S. economy.