Why you should equip your office with an air purifier?
According to art. 207 § 2 of the Labour Code, the employer is obliged to protect the health and life of his employees by providing them with safe and hygienic working conditions with proper use of the achievements of science and technology. While these regulations do not oblige anyone to equip the office with air purifiers, it is worth considering their purchase as a form of concern for the health of employees.
Where pollution comes from and how it affects worker healthów?
We can divide the pollutants present in the air into those thatór flow into the building from outside and on those, to produce którs occurred inside the office. Fromód of the former include particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and other components of smog, as well as allergens such as pollen. According to doctors, smog has cancerous effects. Besides increasing the risk of heart attacksóin heart and strokeóIn ischemic móof the population, even in osób young. During a study conducted by the Jagiellonian University Medical College on a group of residents of theóin Krakow and Lublin between the ages of 16 and 22 were found in the bodies of osób breathing polluted air the presence of CRP protein, whichóre can lead to vascular dysfunction.
The particulate matter present in smog is best removed by a HEPA filter, whichóry is one of the most popular elementsóin the filtration system of air purifiers. Gaseous pollutants, on the other hand, are best handled by a carbon filter, which is why manufacturers very often combine it with HEPA technology.
Although pollen and other allergens coming into the office do not have such a harmful effect, their presence róalso can lead to deterioration in the health of the employeeów. More and more people are struggling with allergiesób, so contact with air contaminated with allergens in someóof membersóin the team can cause a runny nose, conjunctivitisówek and other unpleasant ailments that hinder the performance of dutiesóin professional. The highest efficiency in eliminating allergenóinhalation exhibits the already mentioned HEPA filter.
Pollutants generated in the office itself are chemical compounds thatór, the formation of which is a side effect of the operation of printers, photocopiers and other office equipment. In this wayób into the air are m.in. benzene, xylenes, toluene and formaldehyde. This means that employees operating such equipment or at least staying near it are at risk of irritation skóry and dróg respiratory diseases and even cancer. This type of pollution can be eliminated with a device equipped with activated carbon.
Taking all these arguments into account, buying an air purifier for the office seems a very good investment in the health and efficiency of its employeesów. It is worth noting that the expenses associated with the purchase of such equipment can be included in the cost ofóin obtaining revenueów, so they do not have to be a burden on the company’s budget.
What air purifier will work in the office?
When choosing an air purifier for the office, the main thing to consider is:
- type of filterów,
- CADR or maximum airflow,
- loudness of work,
- purchase and operating costs.
As can be seen from the information presented above, a good air purifier should have a carbon and HEPA filter. The high efficiency of both of these technologies has led to their widespread use in the manufacture of air purifiers, so they are present in a large proportion of the models now on the market. On www.ranking-purifiers.pl you can find devices with high air filtration efficiency.
It can be a bit more of a problem to find a purifier that provides a sufficiently high efficiency, której informs CADR or maximum airflow. While in the case of a single-person office of less than 20 m² Sufficient will be a device thatóre ensures airflow of 150 m³/ h, then in a multi-person room with an area of 50 m² should find a much more efficient purifier. In this regard, the m.in. Xiaomi devices, które have gained great popularity in Poland. Xiaomi Air Purifier Pro model with a wspóThe CADR of 500 m³/ h is recommended for rooms of 35-60 m², While the Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier Max, whichórego CADR is twice as high, it will perform well in areas as large as 120 m².
It is worth noting that the purification efficiency is never too high in relation to the size of the office. Selectór equipment with a higher CADR parameter can make the purifier able to effectively remove pollutants without running high modes ofów, whichóre usually quite noisy. Quiet operation is an important feature of purifiers designed for offices, since excessive noise makes it difficult to focus on work. Devices present in the company at the slowest speed should emit sounds quieter than 40 dB.
The best choice is an air purifier, whichórego high quality goes hand in hand with an attractive price. It is not impossible, because devices that meet the conditions presented here can be purchased for less than PLN 2,000. Of course, oprócz the price of the purifier itself an important role is played by operating costs, on whichóre consist of expenses related to filter replacementów and the value of the current consumed. Good equipment does not generate high costów.
For the filters for the Xiaomi Air Purifier Pro you have to pay £ 199. Taking into account their durability and the average frequency of use of the purifier, two sets of filters are needed per yearów, which means the expense of about 400 zł. The power of this equipment is in the range of 4.8-66 watts. Assuming an average value and assuming that the device will be operated for 12 hours a day, the expenses associated with power consumption should not exceed PLN 155 per year.