Ventilation is the control of the quality and movement of air through spaces. Work may be done indoors or outdoors, or may be done between different enclosed and open environments. Where work is done by people, people need clean, oxygenated air in order to work comfortably and sustainably. Foul odours, dusts, the accumulation of chemical vapours, smoke, or other particulates can affect the quality of a worker's output and have impacts on their health. Additionally, even if the air is clean and flowing, the movement of the air through the room in which the worker is working can have impacts on their health. Anyone who's been blasted by an airconditioner in close range can imagine how that feels. Ventilation supports air quality and air quality supports the performance of the worker as well as the workspace, where moving air can prevent the buildup of moisture, dusts, and other environmental and structural contaminants.
The air quality of the workspace can be affected by the work being done, the building in which the workplace exists, and the environment in which the building exists. Where work is done in one place, such as that work requiring a desktop, instruments, or other fixed plant and implements, work can generate dust, fumes, particles, or become stagnant if there is not a crosscurrent or some other mechanical or active ventilation that ensures the movement of fresh air. The demand for fresh air increases where a space is being occupied by multiple people, and where those peoples' levels of activities may influence their rates of breathing and so influence their demand for fresh air. Moving beyond the workspace, the placement of offices in buildings and in larger structures may affect the quality and supply of air that a worker receives, especially where impermanent floor dividing walls are rearranged to accommodate different work and workers. The adjustment of walls, doors, and windows can create areas of stagnant and moving air, the interaction of which may lead to accumulation of vapours, mould, and odours. The locations of buildings themselves can influence the quality of air that workers breathe - a building's interior may be air-conditioned and otherwise climate-controlled, but if that building is drawing in air with high particle saturations of fumes, rubber, and oil such as that which may arise next to a freeway, then the air must be filtered before being moved indoors. This is particularly important when considering the ventilation of office buildings and even homes located near industrial zones.
Where work is being done outdoors, the quality of the air can be affected by the work being done as well as environmental factors like other work processes and the weather. Environmental wind can carry and recirculate dust, grime, fumes from nearby traffic or onsite plant, as well as natural airborne irritants like pollen, animal dander, or rain. Control of the ventilation of outdoor spaces may seem straightforward in that working outdoors allows dusts and irritants to dissipate in the air, but it also means that where those dusts do not dissipate, like wood dusts, metal dusts, and oil fumes, mechanical ventilation may be needed. In addition to this, when working on structures outdoors, the rearrangement of boarding as walls are assembled or working below the level of the ground in a foundation area may lead to the accumulation of air, dust, vapour, and irritants in those areas.
Workplace ventilation can be provided by passive, active, and environmental means. Passive ventilation may be provided from the design of buildings, where the arrangement of spaces and the opening of windows and doors can create air currents that extract odours and expired air while providing space for air to enter and circulate. Active ventilation is mechanical ventilation provided by fans, air conditioners, vents, ducted heating and cooling, and other powered apparatus that may be fixed in the building or movable plant. These means may be used to enhance the ventilation of small spaces as well as be operationally necessary in large buildings like skyscraper office blocks, or where the work being done generates a significant amount of vapour or mist, like a lathe, coater, or kitchen top. Environmental ventilation is that provided by access to and resulting from the outdoor environment which, while convenient, may also carry pollution and contamination from the site downwind to other areas, so appropriate care must be taken in these circumstances.
Each workplace is different, with different demands, methods of business, and is staffed by people whose capacities, needs, and risk profiles are different. Managing ergonomic, environmental, and occupational health and safety challenges requires a business to examine and engage with the ecosystem of factors that give rise to risk, and how that risk may affect people. Each workplace is different and so sometimes the same problem will require different solutions. This applies to workers as well - every person is different and so may require different support, supervision, or resources to perform comfortably and sustainably. Under Work Health and Safety law, consultation with the workforce, the control of risk as far as is reasonably practicable, and the provision of information, training, instruction and support to the worker by the workplace, is essential to meet obligations to provide workers with a workplace that is as free of risk as far is reasonably practicable.
In our capacity as consultants, Atlas Physio will explore and scope the business and its needs, examining how exposures, risks, and processes contribute to the hazard ecosystem, best inform the design and arrangement of procedural, policy-based, and practical risk controls. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of those with whom we work, implemented in a simple, sustainable, and supportive fashion, designed to be robust and resilient, and to support the ongoing life of the business as well as the sustainable wellbeing of the workers who undertake the day to day activities of work.
At Atlas Physio, we provide reporting, structured control, and ongoing management of risk onsite, on the road, and wherever work is done. We are open seven days a week, and are happy to offer a brief complimentary discussion to explore the needs of your business and your workers if you are an employer, and your needs if you are a worker. Reach out today to arrange a discussion and take the first step toward managing risk and working safely, supported by expertise that is practical, reliable, and designed to deliver lasting results.