Our Air Distribution Products Contribute to Health, Safety, and Productivity in the Healthcare Industry and Other Workplaces
Indoor air quality (IAQ) has never been more important to businesses, accelerated by the global pandemic declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March of 2020. Many industries recognized that, to protect the safety of workers while continuing their work indoors, they would need far more effective air distribution products.
Although studies regarding IAQ have touched important industries such as manufacturing, scientific laboratories, and the medical field for some time, this work was largely applied to safety issues, both for humans on a job site and concern for assets that unfiltered air could affect.
Now, however, this research has extended to workplaces in general, given the wealth of information regarding the way IAQ affects the human brain, and – by extension – workers’ health and productivity. This is all to say that we will likely never return to a world where a comfortable temperature is the most important metric an HVAC system can deliver.
In this article, we will explore a study that delineates the importance of effective air distribution for workers in general, and then focus specifically on its efficacy in medical facilities – a field in which AJ Manufacturing has made significant contributions with our design of fan filter units and more.
The Importance of Effective Air Distribution Products in the Workplace
According to recent research from Harvard, workers from six countries in a variety of industries – from real estate investment, to architecture, to engineering – were physiologically impacted by poor air quality in their buildings. The study determined that “increased concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and lower ventilation rates (measured using carbon dioxide levels as a proxy) were associated with slower response times and reduced accuracy on a series of cognitive tests.”
Since the study’s release in 2021, science-and-business-related media with a broader appeal, including The New York Times and Forbes, have weighed in on the subject, reaffirming this and similar studies’ findings.
A recent Forbes article cites that, in a recent poll of workers in the UK, 60% are aware of the effects of indoor air quality on their performance. As far as organizations are concerned, a growing understanding of IAQ is evident as well. A leader in the “healthy buildings movement,” the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) has attracted a quarter of Fortune 500 companies to adopt its standards for healthy indoor air quality.
As a body of evidence and popular sentiment grows related to the importance of superior air distribution products, such as fan filter units, we expect to see even more businesses adopt such standards. As Virginia Tech professor of civil and environmental engineering Lindsey Marr said in an article for Scientific American, “I think we are on the cusp of a new awareness about indoor air quality.”
The Importance of Superior Air Distribution for Medical Facilities
Of course, the cleanrooms and air distribution systems that AJ Manufacturing has provided for our medical facility partners exist for a reason. Where vulnerable patients are present, filtered air must be present to protect them from airborne infectious disease. For instance, we installed our customized, state-of-the-art ceiling diffusers for University of Kansas/KU Med’s treatment ward to protect immunocompromised patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
Additionally, our air distribution products are used in healthcare settings to ensure indoor quality for workers, as well. Because people who work in healthcare settings have a far higher risk of becoming infected by airborne contaminants, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has developed and continually refined Standard 170 for the Ventilation of Health Care Facilities.
However, medical facilities can now rest assured that their workers are gaining a secondary benefit from solutions designed by a custom HVAC manufacturer. Not only can health care decision-makers trust their HVAC systems’ efficacy at preventing illness for their workers, but they can foster a productive, healthy work environment because of the general benefits of indoor air quality, such as those touted by IWBI, in opposition to the negative outcomes documented by studies such as the aforementioned research conducted at Harvard’s School of Public Health.
To achieve these benefits, AJ Manufacturing can design and assist your facility in the implementation of air distribution products that are customized to your specific healthcare space.
These products include:
- Critical environment ceiling diffusers
- Fan filter units
- HEPA and ULPA filters
- Ceiling and wall diffusers
- Supply grilles
- Return grilles
How to Reach Out to AJ Manufacturing for Your Business’ Air Distribution Needs
Whether your business is looking for air distribution products, including fan filter units, to protect your human capital and assets in a healthcare environment, another critical environment, or any commercial space where workers and your products are at risk due to unsatisfactory IAQ, AJ Manufacturing has you covered.
Find out how we can help. Contact us online, or call us at (816) 231-5522. We look forward to providing the critical solutions you need now and in the future.