Boosting Office Health and Productivity in the New Year
Nortec Urges the Importance of Indoor Air Humidity for Staff Health and Productivity
Ottawa, Canada, January 10, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Nortec urges the importance of workplaces and industrial facilities maintaining proper indoor humidity over the cold winter months. As heating systems are engaged, the indoor air environment rapidly becomes drier, with relative humidity levels dropping as low as 20%, posing risks to staff health that undermine overall productivity.
“Dry indoor environments drastically increase our vulnerability to infection. In dry environments, the mucous membranes in the sinuses dry out and create the prime environment for the implantation and spread of infectious viruses,” said Duncan Curd, GM of Nortec. “Dry indoor environments also allow bacteria and viruses to remain capable of infection for a longer period of time. In this dry environment, viruses can spend hours circulating through the office, poised to infect more staff.”
While employee sick days can cost a company upwards of $260 per day, preventive humidification costs only $0.08 per day, which improves air quality for every employee in your office.
Duncan Curd, GM of Nortec
When staff members are infected by illnesses, they release viral micro droplets into the air through sneezing, coughing and even breathing and talking. With insufficient indoor air humidity levels, a relative humidity under 40%, these viruses released by infected individuals lose their moisture and convert to a crystallized salt form. These crystallized germs are then perfectly preserved to be inhaled and re-humidified by another’s airways.
Staff suffering ill health and negative symptoms due to insufficient indoor air humidification levels not only affects a worker’s disposition and workplace morale, but can have a detrimental effect on a company’s overall productivity. When staff members are ill, the quality of work suffers and a company’s resources suffer through absenteeism and incurred medical costs. Increased absenteeism and reduced productivity place a serious financial burden on employers, with employee sick days costing the company roughly between $172 and $267 per day.
“It is essential for offices and commercial facilities to maintain proper indoor air humidity over the winter months to maintain efficiency and productivity. Offices should maintain an indoor relative air humidity of 40% to 60% to avoid the risks posed by poor indoor air quality,” said Duncan Curd. “While employee sick days can cost a company upwards of $260 per day, preventive humidification costs only $0.08 per day, which improves air quality for every employee in your office.”
As a leader in the study of healthy indoor workplace environments, Nortec has developed several informational resources for workplace maintenance. View Nortec’s educational videos and resources for more information, including virus survival in dry air and ways to eliminate the spread of viruses in the workplace.
About Nortec (Member of the Condair Group)
With 600 employees, the Condair Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial and industrial humidification systems, setting standards globally for energy-efficient and hygienic solutions through its main Condair brand. Condair is represented in 16 countries by its own sales and service organisations and is supported by distribution partners in a further 50 countries. Condair operates production sites in Europe, North America and China.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Caine Ruckstuhl
Marketing Director (ASP), Nortec
T: 613-804-0987
E: caine.ruckstuhl@humidity.com
Source: Nortec