Indoor Air Quality Management
Find out more about our Air Quality Assessment Services
Indoor Air Quality Management
At Assurity Consulting, we can - and across a range of areas in your buildings. Aspects such as dust and microbiological contaminants together with the impact of various groups of gases affect air quality, all of which are influenced by the standards of cleanliness and maintenance of your ventilation systems.
Compliance with COSHH, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) and DSE Regulations are just some of the other considerations too, that have a bearing on how good your indoor air quality really is.
For example many people believe air quality is just a matter of filter changes, if only it were that simple. We find that as many problems can arise from the too frequent changing of filters as well as not frequently enough – both in their own way potentially expensive exercises.
Our consultancy team include chemists, microbiologists and laboratory scientists with decades of experience in indoor air quality management. We take tens of thousands of measurements every year, as well as process all our own site samples – around another 35,000 a year. Combine this with a detailed understanding of your buildings’ systems and services and you have credible and verifiable information on the characteristics of your indoor air quality.
Indoor air quality assessments cover:
- Ventilation systems and air quality requirements;
- Air handling units;
- Air quality legislation;
- Air quality control factors;
- Risks associated with mechanically ventilated buildings; and
- Managing indoor air quality issues effectively.
With an industry-leading ISO 17025 system that covers site sampling, transportation and testing of our air samples and a UKAS accredited in house laboratory, you have the reassurance that your results will be totally accurate.
Our consultants can also advise you on the use of our online compliance management solution “Assurity Plus” to view real-time progress of your allocated actions, simplify the way you work, demonstrate greater compliance control, have useable management reporting and enhanced visibility of risks.
Read our independent workplace guide on what you need to know about indoor air quality
Benefits
Related services
Customer testimonials
Westfield
"Assurity Consulting continue to provide Westfield with excellent support and guidance in relation to Legionella and air quality risks. They provide cost effective solutions ensuring that the interests of our business are met at all times. Their employees are always pleasant and knowledgeable and they consistently deliver clear and concise reports, which are easy to understand and action."
- Will Stanbridge, Manager of Risk Management, Westfield Shoppingtowns Limited
Civil Aviation Authority
"Assurity Consulting have always provided CAA with a professional and timely service. The reports produced are well written and provide clear guidance on the any actions that are required. Their staff give practical expert advice when required."
- Tim Williams, Health Safety and Environmental Adviser, Civil Aviation Authority
Fujitsu
"Having worked with Assurity Consulting for a number of years I know I can rely on their support and professional advice on all aspects of workplace compliance including areas that are not specifically detailed in our agreement. Having an independent view point is essential and their online compliance management tool enables central monitoring to be carried out with ease."
- Carol Morrison, Compliance & Supplier Relationship Manager UK&I Properties, Fujitsu Services Ltd
London & Regional Properties
"Assurity Consulting are the people that ‘check the checker’. They make sure everything is up to date, they offer ‘fresh eyes’ and help us to make sure we are forward thinking on all health and safety matters. I am very proud to say I have a long standing team and tenants who are completely satisfied that our building has continually high quality standards of health and safety"
- Chris Longman, General Manager, London & Regional Properties
Case studies
Roffey Park Institute - Providing a safe learning environment for staff and visitors with Assurity Consulting
Roffey Park Institute is an international, research led learning and development organisation. They focus on personal, team and organisational learning in leadership, management, human resource development, and organisational development.
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Slaughter and May Believing in Workplace Compliance
Slaughter and May is regarded as one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. They advise on high profile and groundbreaking international transactions and have an excellent and varied client list that includes leading companies, organisations and governments.
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Latest articles
Building contractor was sentenced after a subcontractor injured falling from height
9th September 2020
Brebner and Williamson Limited has been fined on 14th August 2020 following an incident where John Niven, a self-employed subcontractor fell 15 feet from a Youngman Board (a type of lightweight staging board) that was used to create a temporary platform to give access to the roof in an area without scaffolding. He sustained multiple fractures and a brain injury.
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Company fined £285,000 after an employee died and another worker was seriously injured
12th August 2020
Concrete manufacturer Treanor Pujol Ltd was fined for safety breaches following two separate incidents including the death of an employee and series injuries to a second worker. HSE investigators also identified several electrical safety failings.
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London Fire Brigade has seen a 20% increase in smoking-related fires despite over one million people kicking the habit
12th August 2020
New figures from London Fire Brigade (FLB) show the number of smoking-related fires in the home has increased by around 20% since the UK lockdown was announced, despite it being reported that one million smokers in the UK have quit during the pandemic.
Read moreAir Quality FAQs
There is no legal frequency at which ventilation systems must be cleaned.
However, under the Health & Safety at work Act etc 1974, and the Occupiers Liability Act, an employer has a duty of care to make sure that a safe and healthy environment is provided for employees and occupants. Therefore, as an employer or landlord, it is your responsibility to make sure that the air being supplied to the environment meets the requirements as set out in for example the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) regulations 1992 (Regulation 6) and L24 – The Approved Code of Practice attached to the regulations which states “The air which is introduced should, as far as possible, be free of any impurity which is likely to be offensive or cause ill health”.
Cleaning a ventilation system is a drastic and expensive measure in maintaining a good standard of indoor air quality. Thankfully, ventilation systems in fact rarely require cleaning to make sure of good air quality; therefore, it tends to be more cost effective for employers and landlords to monitor the air being supplied. This can clearly demonstrate the cleanliness of a ventilation system, compliance with regulations, and identify any potential issues which may need attention.
Competitiveness and productivity in the workplace are of paramount importance, with more emphasis on this than ever in the current political climate. Employee performance declines when Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels are high and also creates the impression of a stuffy office environment among many workers. With organisations wanting to boost their productivity, understanding how carbon dioxide impacts your employees’ work-life is crucial.
Occupancy levels can have a major effect on the quality of your office environment. Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels outdoors typically range between 300ppm (parts per million) and 500ppm. In-office areas, this can increase to levels between 700ppm and 1000ppm, depending on the occupant density and the level of fresh air entering the office space. BRE (Building Research Establishment) have identified a correlation between air-tightness and levels of ventilation. Highly airtight buildings are energy efficient but less ventilated and prone to accumulation of air pollutants. Occupants can often complain that they’re too warm, resulting in thermostats being adjusted. However, elevated carbon dioxide levels can often be a result of this. An increased intake of CO2 can actually lead to poor decision-making and thinking processes meaning that people’s mental capacity decreases. Reaction times are also slower, so employees may find it challenging to react properly and swiftly to things, such as a fire evacuation or even simple, everyday tasks. CO2 tends to increase tiredness as well, meaning your employees will not be at their best and find it harder to cope with workloads and stresses. All of this can contribute to a low-productivity environment.
A recent study showed that individuals working under heavier CO2 concentrations (1400ppm in the study), performed 50% worse in cognitive tasks compared to those working in the low 550ppm scenario. The long term exposure limit (8-hour period) for CO2 has been set at 5000ppm by The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and in the Health and Safety Executive document EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits. This demonstrates that without regular monitoring in place, your office environment could have a seriously detrimental effect on employee productivity before breaching legal limits.
Workplace comfort and indoor air quality are important issues for today’s employees, and there is an increasing amount of legislation in these areas that are open to misinterpretation. This has led to much confusion over what needs to be done in order to comply with legislation whilst making sure that safe air and a healthy environment are provided for staff.
There is currently no legal requirement to have an air quality monitoring regime in place within your workplace. However, there are legal stipulations as to office environment provided to your staff and occupants. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations state that ‘Effective and suitable provision shall be made to ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air’. Section 6 details that ‘Enclosed workplaces should be sufficiently well ventilated so that stale air, and air which is hot or humid because of the processes or equipment in the workplace, is replaced at a reasonable rate.’ Additionally, ‘The air which is introduced should, as far as possible, be free of any impurity which is likely to be offensive or cause ill health.’
Section 7 of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations states that the ‘temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable’.The HSE have guidelines as to the recommended lower temperature parameters. Conversely, no meaningful figure is given to the upper indoor temperature parameter, only that employers have an obligation to ensure that it is ‘reasonable’.
The document EH40 contains the list of workplace exposure limits for use with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. These are the legal limits set by the HSE at which individuals should be exposed to at work, ranging from dust to carbon dioxide.
So although there is no legal requirement to have an air quality monitoring regime in place, it will provide you with the key evidence needed to demonstrate that you are complying with legislation and making sure that a healthy environment is provided to staff.
The air we breathe not only consists of oxygen, and other primary gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide, but also contains various materials from the surrounding environment; particulates. These are tiny bits of solids, or liquids, suspended in the air and are a complex group of pollutants that vary in size, shape, composition and origin.
Particulates in the air are naturally picked up in air streams and will vary from dust, debris, and other contaminants. The particulates present will be affected by the type of environment – a rural environment will be very different to an urban one, but also more localised factors such as traffic, construction and manufacturers will have a large effect.
Some particulates are more harmful than others. Generally, the government focuses on PM2.5 and PM10 (the PM translating to particle matter, and the numbers relating to the size of the particles, measured in microns).
PM10 pollutants often are large enough to get trapped in your nose when inhaled. The largest particles (PM10) get caught through the nasal passage; however, it’s the PM2.5 particles that are more concerning. These are microscopically small which can not only enter your lungs but also into your bloodstream. It’s these particles which can pass through the nerves which connect the nose to the brain. Increased respiratory symptoms, aggravation of asthma, irritation of mucous membranes and bacterial infections are just some of the problems related to particle matter.
Indoor Air Quality Assessments
If you would like expert, independent advice on indoor air quality within your building, please contact us for a detailed, confidential and without-obligation discussion of your requirements.
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