Indoor Environmental Quality: Issues faced in the workplace

Over 100 Health and Safety professionals and BIGWU representatives throughout the country attended the session.

In his opening remarks, CARIRI’s chief executive officer, Liaquat Ali Shah said, “We all need air to breathe, therefore we are all affected by poor indoor air quality.” Shah stated that though indoor air quality in buildings was highly publicised in the media, individuals do not fully understand the effects air pollution can have on their health, work life and mental performance which in turn affects productivity.

He also touched on another new service offered by CARIRI known as Slip Resistance Testing. The occurrence of slips, trips and falls in commercial spaces within recent times has grown rapidly and in speaking with persons in the construction sector, a common point of contention has always been the coefficient of friction, which is the measure of slip resistance of a tile.

Shah urged everyone to treat health and safety as a joint commitment between management and employees to proactively find solutions. He ended his speech with this profound statement on ascertaining the root cause of IEQ, “Better is not always about doing more, but identifying the risk.”

Wesley Francis, Health and Safety officer for BIGWU, in his address, reported alarming statistics of how poor indoor environmental quality can affect employee’s health and comfort. He also discussed a “Sick building syndrome” which the audience agreed is a big deterrent to productivity. He urged employees to increase the circulation of information within the workplace and to encourage more meaningful discussions on pertinent issues.

Participants also gained insights from CARIRI’s expert team of environmental consultants, who are accredited by the American Council of Accredited Certification (ACAC) and the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards (CESB), the most prestigious certification specific to Indoor Air Quality.

Tisha John, environmental specialist and head of CARIRI’s Indoor Air Quality Department presented on some of the effects and causes of poor IAQ, which she attributed to common indoor contaminants such as dust, fibreglass, indoor allergens like dust mites from carpet and fabric furniture and even ozone from photocopiers. John advised the HSE officers to keep an eye out for prevalent cases of skin rashes, dryness and irritation of eyes, nose, throat and skin, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and nausea and sinus congestion, as these are common symptoms of poor IAQ. She summarised some of the common causes of issues associated with poor IAQ, which include improperly maintained HVAC’s, contamination by construction materials, continuous re-circulation of air inside buildings and increases in the number of building occupants.

Tricia Singh, laboratory manager of CARIRI gave a presentation on, “Mould Management: A proactive approach.” She described mould as the most misunderstood and controversial topic of all indoor air quality parameters, which includes mould spores, bacteria, yeast and viruses. Singh identified the three main factors influencing growth of mould indoors – the availability of food sources, temperature and moisture.

Singh said air contamination is not the only cause for feelings of discomfort and illness and may be related to issues in the total indoor environment such as noise levels, thermal comfort (temperature, humidity and air movement), lighting and ergonomics, which CARIRI can test.

CARIRI’s capabilities were explained by Rishi Shaffie, environmental technologist of CARIRI, who described the Air Quality Management Unit as a multi-disciplinary team with extensive experience and a wide range of skills to meet the needs of the client. The department can monitor for any occupational hygiene exposure (noise, heat stress, gases, particulates, vibration, lighting, and ergonomics) and compare results to international and local standards and guidelines.

Lisa Ramoutar closed off the session with a presentation on slips, trips and falls. She said the Slip Resistance Testing service is one that is needed in Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the region, as it will provide users of commercial spaces with a measure of comfort over the safety of walkways and floors. To assess a floor’s slip resistance, CARIRI now has a reliable, thoroughly researched floor friction test method and the equipment necessary to conduct the assessment. “One of the biggest aspects of walkway safety is the slips, trips and falls. We want to minimise these,” Ramoutar stated.

CARIRI is not only about general research, rather it is about applied research.

For more information on Indoor Environmental Quality you can contact Cariri.