Air purifier: Effects of Indoor Air Quality on Work Productivity
A lot of people thinks that air purifiers are only suitable to be used at home. Human resource is one of the greatest assets in an organization and the main contributor of a company’s expenses. Providing a comfortable work environment is essential to attract and retain talents in your company.
Research has shown that improving air quality will improve productivity among workers. Wargocki et al. (2000) published a research which showed that productivity estimated to increase 1.9% in every two-fold increase in ventilation. Better ventilation includes removal of pollutants and increasing air movement.
Improvement of air ventilation also helps reduce humidity in the room, hence will be able to control or prevent the fungal growth which can be harmful when inhaled. Improvement of productivity will significantly decrease organization’s operating cost and also promote healthier employees. Wargocki et al. (2000) also brought to attention that employees are able to further improve concentration-related work and also creative thinking when air quality improves.
Apart from understanding the benefits of having a better air quality, we also need to identify common activities or things in the office that may be a threat to our health. Offices that are located in old buildings may be long infested with molds or bacteria due to old infrastructure. Pests that’s infested in cracks of an old building may also be carrying harmful diseases.
There may be an ongoing construction or renovation process in the area surrounding your office, be it from your own or neighboring units. Such activities generate large amounts of dusts that should be eliminated through an air purifier. Long term use of printers also generates a lot of harmful particulates such as powder from the toner which will be harmful if inhaled long term.
Other common items in the office such as furniture or carpets can be a potential carrier of harmful particles and microorganisms that can be released onto the air. Simply vacuuming the carpet will not eliminate harmful pathogens. High humidity environment will further favor high growth of dangerous microorganisms.
If your office is located near an underground parking, then you will be further exposed with high concentration of carbon monoxide that is toxic if inhaled in large amounts. With so much exposure to harmful chemicals and microorganisms, there is a need to consider eliminating it to provide a better quality and safe environment to the people who work in such places.
Introducing Honeywell True HEPA Air Purifier 50250-S is an air purifier designed for large spaces up to 390 square feet. It is equipped with True HEPA filter, a more superior version of HEPA filter as it is proven to be able to capture at least 99.97% of particles with the size 0.3 micron and above.
The size of pollens is 30 microns, dust 10 microns, pet dander 5 microns and smoke at size 1 micron. All of these particles will be able to be absorbed as it is larger than 0.3 micron. The filter is also equipped with activated carbon which is used to capture larger particles and also to absorb bad odors.
Interestingly, Honeywell True HEPA Air Purifier received Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) rating 250 for smoke, 250 for dust and 250 for pollen. Suitable to be used to clean up heavily polluted air especially from city centers. It is also suggested by users that Honeywell air purifier’s function is quieter compared to units from other manufacturers. Therefore, you can rest assured your office will not be interrupted by the noise generated by the Honeywell air purifier.
The manufacturer also promises that air changes at least 5 times per hour for an extra-large-sized room, 12 times per hour air change for a medium-sized room and 23 times per hour air change for a small-sized room. Similar to other air purifiers in the market, this model also require its HEPA filter to be replaced every 3 months. The replacement filters are now coming in vacuum packed which can last up to 3 years.
You can purchase additional replacements as a spare so that you will have enough to change whenever it’s needed. Another disadvantage of this air purifier is that it is not equipped with filters that can trap harmful gases on the environment such as formaldehyde.
Initial investment to introduce air purifier into offices may seem high. However, the intrinsic value that you can receive from better productivity will in return generate more sustainable income to your organization long term. Employees who are suffering from allergies or asthma will also find your workplace to be more desirable to work in.