Creating a Healthier Indoor Environment
Best practices for IAQ management in the workplace
- By Aaron Schroeder
- May 01, 2025
Indoor air quality (IAQ) may not always be at the forefront of workplace safety discussions, but it’s one of the most crucial factors affecting employee health, comfort, and overall productivity. While most professionals understand the importance of IAQ, what often goes overlooked are the nuanced strategies to actively manage and improve it in real-world, fast-paced environments.
Let’s go beyond the basics and dive into practical, often underutilized, approaches to IAQ management that workplace safety and health professionals can integrate into their day-to-day operations. We’ll explore setting actionable IAQ standards, performing meaningful assessments, and how intentional workplace design can make a lasting impact on air quality. By implementing these strategies, you can foster a healthier, more efficient workplace environment.
Why IAQ Management Needs a Proactive Approach
Understanding IAQ is only the beginning—ensuring it remains at optimal levels requires ongoing effort. The reality is that poor IAQ doesn’t just manifest overnight. It’s a slow build-up of small issues—inefficient ventilation, unregulated moisture levels, unnoticed chemical emissions—that accumulate into bigger health hazards.
The challenge lies in the fact that many organizations adopt a reactive stance, addressing IAQ only after employees complain or health symptoms arise. In today’s work climate, where employee well-being is linked directly to engagement and productivity, professionals need to transition toward proactive IAQ management.
Setting IAQ Standards: Focus on Health, Not Just Compliance
Yes, regulatory guidelines set a foundation for acceptable IAQ, but merely complying with these benchmarks often isn’t enough to ensure a truly healthy workspace. To create a lasting impact, safety professionals must focus on proactive health-driven goals, not just hitting compliance targets.
Go beyond the basics and begin setting health-centric metrics. Most standards focus on quantifiable measures like carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels, particulate matter (PM), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But to be truly effective, IAQ management should include comfort-related factors like temperature and humidity. For example, most research has shown that maintaining relative humidity levels between 40-60% can help reduce the transmission of viruses and is better for respiratory health, an insight that can directly influence workplace policies on HVAC operations.
IAQ is not a static issue. It fluctuates with seasons, work schedules, and even employee headcount. Instead of sticking to static guidelines, develop and prioritize dynamic IAQ goals that can be adapted throughout the year. For instance, during flu season or peak allergy months, IAQ thresholds should be stricter to help prevent illness outbreaks. Consider adopting seasonal “IAQ checks” for your HVAC system to adjust its performance based on anticipated needs.
Air Quality Assessments: A Shift to Real-Time Data
Traditional IAQ assessments rely on spot checks and audits, but these methods miss fluctuations that happen between inspections. Continuous monitoring providing real-time data is the game changer in IAQ management, offering constant insights that can alert professionals to problems before they escalate.
The future of IAQ management lies in leveraging IoT (Internet of Things) technologies. Real-time IAQ sensors continuously monitor key parameters, providing instant feedback on the quality of the air in various zones. These monitors not only detect harmful pollutants but can also track temperature, humidity, and CO₂ levels at any given moment.
This allows safety professionals to identify trends in IAQ fluctuations and make adjustments on the fly. For instance, if CO₂ levels spike during peak office hours, adjustments can be made to increase ventilation or regulate occupancy in certain areas. These insights can also inform long-term adjustments in building maintenance schedules, helping avoid costly reactive fixes.
Monitoring data is only useful if it informs action. Safety professionals should establish thresholds for automated actions based on real-time data. For example, when particulate levels exceed acceptable limits, the building’s HVAC system should increase air exchanges. If humidity levels start to climb, dehumidifiers can be activated in specific areas to help prevent mold growth.
More advanced systems even integrate with Building Management Systems (BMS) to streamline these actions, meaning fewer manual interventions and more seamless IAQ control.
Workplace Design as an IAQ Strategy
While IAQ often conjures up thoughts of mechanical systems and HVAC upgrades, one of the most underrated aspects of managing air quality is workplace design. The layout and features of your office or industrial space can significantly impact how air flows and pollutants accumulate.
Workplace design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a fundamental aspect of IAQ. Poorly designed layouts that restrict airflow, block vents, or overcrowd workstations can lead to stagnant air and an increase in indoor pollutants.
Reconfiguring workspaces to allow for better air movement is an easy, often low-cost way to improve air quality. For instance, avoid placing large furniture in front of windows or HVAC registers to ensure free airflow. In high-density areas, consider installing mobile air purifiers to help supplement ventilation and reduce contaminant buildup.
Choose materials that promote health—in recent years, the push for sustainability has extended beyond energy efficiency to include healthier building materials. VOC emissions from certain paints, carpets, and office furniture can contribute significantly to indoor air pollution. When renovating or updating spaces, opt for low-emitting materials.
Additionally, natural elements like plants not only boost employee morale but can also help improve IAQ by filtering pollutants from the air. When strategically placed in areas with limited ventilation, plants like spider plants, peace lilies, and snake plants can act as natural air purifiers.
Building a Culture of IAQ Awareness: Involving Employees
It’s easy to forget that employees are on the front lines when it comes to noticing changes in air quality. Often, they’re the first to experience symptoms related to poor IAQ, such as headaches, eye irritation, or respiratory problems. Creating a workplace culture where IAQ is openly discussed, and employees are encouraged to share feedback can be helpful in preventing IAQ-related health issues.
Establish a simple reporting system that creates a direct feedback loop where employees can log IAQ-related concerns. This could be anything from noticing strange odors to experiencing an increase in allergic reactions while in the workplace. Ensure that these reports are taken seriously and followed up with prompt inspections. This kind of feedback loop not only builds trust but also allows professionals to identify emerging problems quickly.
IAQ management isn’t solely the responsibility of safety professionals. Employees play a crucial role in maintaining it too. Host workshops or include educational segments during safety briefings to teach employees how their behaviors, such as blocking vents or improperly storing chemicals, can negatively impact IAQ. When they’re empowered with the knowledge, employees become proactive participants in IAQ maintenance rather than passive bystanders.
Managing IAQ isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it operation. It’s a continuous, evolving process that requires attention to detail, proactive assessments, and cross-functional collaboration. By setting dynamic IAQ standards, leveraging real-time data, and integrating workplace design strategies, you can stay ahead of the curve and create environments that prioritize both health and productivity.
For workplace safety and health professionals, taking a leadership role in IAQ management means going beyond compliance—it’s about fostering a holistic approach to well-being. The time invested in IAQ today will pay dividends in the long run, leading to happier, healthier employees and a more efficient, resilient workplace.
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.