The role of indoor air quality in the health, wellbeing and safety of employees in industrial and commercial environments is well established. With lockdown easing and the prospect of once again spending upwards of eight hours a day at work, this aspect of workplace environmental management must be given due consideration, says Humidity Solutions managing director John Barker.
Poor air quality can have a significant knock-on effect both on employees’ health and their productivity. Pollutants in the indoor environment (such as higher levels of carbon dioxide) can cause chronic illness; low humidity can cause dry eyes and sore throats; and poorly filtered air can cause allergic reactions.
General low air quality has been known to cause headaches, physical fatigue, infections, respiratory issues and a general lack of concentration among employees, all adding up to a higher rate of absenteeism and lower productivity. Indoor environmental quality involves regulating the climate, ventilation and humidity.
Monitoring
In the first instance, existing air quality should be monitored to evaluate typical levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2 , particles, temperature and humidity over time. There are companies which specialise in this and can produce highly detailed information over given time periods if this is required. Alternatively, wall-mounted or bench-top monitors with informative and easy to read displays, which also continuously log the readings, can give accurate and immediate feedback to occupants.
Ventilation
For ventilation, the aim is generally to maximise outdoor air ventilation, and this is often achieved via a built-in mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MHVR) system. Simple tweaks and adjustments or adding new or retrofitted equipment, bringing in more fresh outside air to replace indoor air, can all help reduce airborne pathogens and other contaminants.
Air purification
Where increasing the amount of fresh air in a space is not possible or practicable, as is the case in many buildings, filtration may be a suitable option. There is a vast range of air purifiers on the market of varying air volume capacity and filter grade – some also offering UV-C light which damages the genetic structure of viruses and kills airborne pathogens.
Humidity
Depending on building design and location, you may need to add or remove humidity to meet established guidelines. Keeping indoor relative humidity within the range of 40%-60% suggested by ASHRAE Standard 55 can minimise the effects of bacteria and allergens: it is recommended both for optimal human comfort, and operation and performance of many industrial and manufacturing processes.
Industrial heating and cooling
For heating, radiant tube heating systems offer exceptional efficiency and potential to reduce energy costs.
Air curtains are ideal for open doorways, to stop warm air escaping while allowing free movement of people and machinery, saving energy and costs.
Adiabatic evaporative cooling is the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly way of cooling air and is an alternative to traditional air conditioning. The evaporation of moisture into the air reduces its temperature while the process also filters it and removes airborne contaminants, typically using only 20% of the energy used by traditional air conditioning.
Controlling the environment can come at a cost, so to reduce the air volume required to be treated is another consideration, particularly applicable in large industrial and manufacturing plants.
As ever, specialist advice is recommended to assess, design and recommend the best solution for each environment. Humidity Solutions is well established as an independent specialist in humidity control and the sales team have over 100 years of experience between them in designing bespoke solutions for a wide range of applications. A well-designed system will not only improve wellbeing but can also save costs by using efficient equipment or by increasing the productivity of machines and employees.
01372 571200 | john@humiditysolutions.co.uk
www.humiditysolutions.co.uk