As Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease around the country, companies across all industries are moving their workforces back to the office. Whether transitioning to a hybrid or full-time model, many of these employees will be returning to a public indoor working environment for the first time in years. The question on many people’s mind now, thanks to the time spent working remotely and battling this worldwide pandemic, is how clean these indoor spaces are. I think this is a question we should have been asking ourselves long before now.
Indoor air quality gained significant attention during this tumultuous time (paywall). As the average American spends about 90% of their time indoors and takes around 12 to 16 breaths a minute, what’s in that air matters.
A clean work environment is our responsibility.
As the leaders of these businesses, it’s up to us to ensure that our employees have a clean environment to work in—especially considering full-time employees spend around seven to 10 hours within the facilities for five days a week. This shift toward ensuring positive working conditions includes actively taking steps to maintain an indoor environment with clean air.
As the CEO of a mold remediation company, I’ve found that one of the best ways to accomplish this is to prevent indoor contaminants like mold. While I’ve noticed that society doesn’t often consider indoor mold growth, this contaminant can trigger adverse health reactions to those exposed, making it a liability and HR issue. Once a contaminant begins growing inside, it reproduces by creating microscopic and inhalable particles called spores. Some species can also create microscopic toxins called mycotoxins, both of which lead to poor indoor air quality.
Therefore, it’s important to actively work to prevent mold growth in spaces where your employees work.
Four Steps To Create A Cleaner Work Environment
Here are four tips that you can begin implementing to help make your office space clean for your employees.