Green Buildings for a Healthier Work Environment

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Many building owners are motivated to make their buildings greener by the potential of reduced utility bills. Green buildings not only have a lower impact on the environment but are also good for the health of their occupants. Getting your building greener can help to create a healthier working environment for those that occupy the building.

Modern buildings have proved to play a role in the development of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Getting your building greener can help to reduce exposure to pollutants and create a healthy work environment.

Increase Your Employee Efficiency And Health With Green Buildings | Gregory Voetsch

Green Buildings for a Healthier Work Environment

Does your building provide a healthy environment for those that work within it? Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a condition first identified in 1976. It is a condition characterized by various nonspecific symptoms, which may include asthma or asthma-like symptoms, irritation, and dryness of the skin, headaches, irritability, fatigue, and irritation of the eyes, throat, and nose.

Incidences of SBS have increased. However, many people still hold the misconception that it is only a problem that arises in older buildings. That is despite the World Health Organization reporting that about 30 percent of cases worldwide occur in remodeled or new buildings.

How buildings contribute to SBS

1. Poor indoor air quality

Indoor air quality refers to the standard of the air circulating in the building. It is a significant contributor to the development of SBS since workers spend more than 8 hours a day in a building.
Many modern buildings get built to be airtight. Air gets circulated throughout the building through HVAC systems. If a building’s HVAC system is inadequate, it may not be effective at distributing air to occupants. Inadequate ventilation will result in the buildup of air pollutants such as carbon monoxide within the building.

2. Volatile Organic Compounds

Another common contributing factor to SBS is the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within the building. VOCs such as formaldehyde are present in many office products, including copy machines, carpeting, cleaning products, and wood products. These products release these VOCs through a process called off-gassing. Office workers, therefore, get exposed to these chemicals, which can lead to acute health effects.
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3. Pollutants from the outdoors

Pollutants such as exhaust fumes from vehicles can harm the air quality in buildings. It is especially the case when the building’s intake vents do not have an appropriate installation. Pollutants from the outdoors will permeate the house and cause health issues such as lung cancer, kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Gregory Voetsch

A Greener Building for an Improved Work Environment

Making a building greener isn’t just good for the environment. It’s also great for the health of the building’s occupants. Here are some ways you can make your building greener and create a healthier working environment.

1. Use sustainable products

Many commercially produced products are sources of VOCs. Use more sustainable products such as green cleaning products or wooden furniture made from sustainably sourced and processed wood. Using these products will help to lower levels of VOCs in the air and achieve a more comfortable work environment.

2. Bring in some plants.

Growing plants within a building will improve the air quality in the building. Plants are known to filter out carbon dioxide and replace it with oxygen. Some plants are even known to get rid of pollutants.

Dracaena, for example, is known to have the ability to remove VOCs. Greenery will have the added advantage of reducing stress in the workplace by creating a calming and refreshing atmosphere.

3. Improve ventilation rates

Improving ventilation in a building will help to improve the work environment as well as help to save energy. Installing operable windows is one of the easiest ways to do this. It allows the occupants of the building to open windows and allow fresh air from the outside into the building. You can install switches in windows to turn off the HVAC system in a particular part of the building when windows are open.

It can reduce the building’s consumption of energy by as much as 30 percent while getting rid of pollutants such as carbon monoxide.
Going green isn’t just for the benefit of the planet or reduced bills. It’s also good for our health.