Protecting employees and customers: Clean air in offices and commercial spaces

As the risks of bringing together people from different households is higher than ever, managers of offices and commercial spaces are feeling the pressure to safeguard their employees and customers.

There’s a reason why non-essential shops, malls, and offices were among the first sites shuttered during the onset of the pandemic — the major risk of airborne disease spread in indoor spaces where people from different households gather for long periods of time.

Research has found that COVID-19 transmission is much more likely to occur indoors than outdoors, and office and commercial spaces have emerged as potential hotspots for the virus to spread. COVID “can be exceptionally contagious in crowded office settings,” according to a report published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Retail stores have also emerged as a location where mass outbreaks occur, with waves of employee infections forcing businesses to temporarily shut down, creating a logistical nightmare and negative publicity for the brand, along with a hit to revenue.

A virus outbreak within a commercial space is a huge disruption and can have a devastating impact on businesses. Conversely, excellent air has been proven to help people work more productively. It’s clear that the quality of the air in commercial and residential spaces matters.

You are what you breathe: How bad indoor air affects us

Poor air quality is caused by airborne pollutants, which include biological pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and molds, and chemical contaminants such as VOCs. The presence of these has a very real effect on how we feel, and even our ability to work effectively.

According to researchers from the International Center for Indoor Environment and Energy, poor air quality in workspaces is correlated with worse employee performance and morale. The EPA states that people who work in spaces with bad air quality take more days off. And researchers from Harvard Syracuse University discovered that people working in offices with stellar indoor air quality performed a stunning 61% better than their counterparts in workspaces with polluted, poor air.

However, site managers for commercial centers and workspaces should be concerned about more than an impact on workflow. COVID is far from the only nasty pollutant present in indoor air that can pose major health risks to both customers and employees.

Beyond COVID: Why bad indoor air is a huge liability

According to the EPA, sources of indoor air pollution in office buildings and commercial spaces include:

• eye, nose, and throat irritation
• difficulty breathing
• nausea
• central nervous system and organ damage (long-term exposure)

The quality of the air in a space has a tremendous impact on whether or not an individual feels comfortable. Imagine the psychological effect of an immediate, physiological reaction to poor air on customers and employees. Would you be eager to spend time in a place where you felt like you were physically ill, or would you rush to leave that location as quickly as possible?

To ensure that the air is clean at your site, you need to embrace air purifier solutions that remove harmful matter and foster a safe environment for your employees and customers.

How TADIRAN AIROW™ helps

The TADIRAN AIROW hydrogen-peroxide-based air purification system is very effective at reducing airborne pathogens, including the COVID-19 virus, bacteria, and molds by up to 99.998%. The system also targets VOCs and other contaminants commonly found in offices and commercial spaces, ensuring that everyone present can breathe easier.

The system leverages unique proprietary technology which transforms water molecules already present in the air to cleansing, pathogen-eliminating hydrogen peroxide. The plug-and-play, hands-off solution can be seamlessly installed into your workspace, store, or mall’s current HVAC system, and requires virtually no maintenance.

To keep your employees and customers safe from the negative impact of poor air quality, consider a hydrogen peroxide air purifier that ensures the air your customers and employees are breathing is as clean as possible.