Improving Workplace Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality during Cold Weather

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued an OSHA Alert on improving workplace ventilation during the cold winter months. In it, the agency states that indoor air quality (IAQ) in the workplace during cold weather is especially critical with influenza, cold and COVID-19 viruses circulating.

Key steps to improve ventilation listed by OSHA include:

• Inspecting air intake and exhaust ports to ensure they are clean and free of ice or snow.
• Replacing filters as necessary to ensure the proper function of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
• Having an HVAC professional conduct all regularly scheduled inspections and maintenance.
• Adding portable air cleaners with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters in spaces with high occupancy or limited ventilation.

OSHA also states that while building managers may perform some steps to improve indoor air, others should be conducted by qualified HVAC professionals. These include:

• Ensuring all HVAC systems are operating in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and design specifications.
• Maximizing the amount of outdoor air supplied consistent with the heating capacity of the HVAC system. Rebalancing or adjusting HVAC systems to increase total airflow to occupied spaces.
• Installing air filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) 13 (or equivalent) or higher where feasible. If MERV-13 filters are not compatible with the HVAC system, use filters with the highest compatible filtering efficiency for the HVAC system.
• Cleaning HVAC system drain pans, heating and cooling coils, and supply/return registers to eliminate areas where contaminants can settle.

“Improving ventilation is a key engineering control that can be used to increase the delivery of clean air and to remove or reduce the concentration of viral particles and other airborne contaminants,” said Frank Selamie, President of CTSI. “At CTSI, our indoor air quality and infection control experts help building owners and operators achieve safe and healthy indoor environments. We provide testing, monitoring, training, and consulting services to assess building ventilation systems and to detect and mitigate exposures to biological and chemical pollutants; infectious pathogens; and asthma triggers, allergens, and respiratory irritants.”

CTSI also recently sponsored an educational video about improving workplace ventilation during cold weather that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/i993m3vDKks

To learn more about building ventilation assessments, inspections, and indoor air quality services, please visit www.ctsiweb.com, email contactus@ctsiweb.com, or call (212) 971-7016.

About CTSI
Established in 1992, Consulting & Testing Services, Inc. (CTSI) was founded on one strong commitment: to provide efficient and expert services to clients based on professionalism, innovation, and cost-effective expert solutions. This commitment has been furthered with CTSI’s reputation in fostering client relationships in all sectors of the Environmental, Health, Safety, and Construction industries. CTSI prides itself in utilizing a high quality service based on its diverse team of staff and professionals’ concise recommendations and solutions to the most pressing dilemmas. The company operates offices in New York and Florida that service clients across the United States.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail