Overlooked Health Considerations When Designing Your Office Space

Collaborative Post

Most business owners focus on the obvious health and safety requirements when designing an office. This means that fire exists and other exit routes need to be clearly marked from the start. Similarly, new offices are also usually equipped with first-aid kits, which are fully stocked and accessible.

But there’s more to consider for the modern workplace to preserve the health of your employees (and yourself). Ultimately, some mistakes in design may not seem obvious at first, but they can be extremely costly in the long term, both in terms of productivity and health, as potential liabilities if employees are able to demonstrate the cause of their issues.

a-person-looking-stressed-at-a-laptop-in-an-office

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Open-plan Offices & Unexpected Noise Levels

Open-plan offices are often praised for encouraging collaboration and maximizing space. However, you need to be careful as the design can also expose employees to prolonged periods of potentially harmful noise.

Indeed, open-plan designs can be loud. There are many elements that can contribute to the overall sound level, including conversations, video meetings, and background chatter. In large collaborative workspaces, noise levels can sometimes reach up to 80 decibels, especially as the space can create a situation where everyone has to speak louder than surrounding neighbors to be heard. This can happen when the design amplifies sounds.

The problem is that regular exposure to higher sound levels for a prolonged period of time can affect hearing health. The last thing you need is for employees to come back from a hearing testing with concerns about workplace noise exposure. Why? Because you may be found liable for any deterioration.

Understanding Sick Building Syndrome

Even when an office is built with modern materials and safety standards at its heart, it can still experience indoor environmental problems.

Sick building syndrome refers to situations where people experience symptoms that can be linked to the time they spend inside a particular building. There may not be a clear identifiable cause or illness. However, there are some contributing factors that can lead to this issue:

Inadequate ventilation
Poor humidity control
Chemical contaminants from cleaning products
Invisible mold growth

From a health perspective, this can appear in the form of headaches, fatigue, eye irritation, dizziness, or even nasal congestion. However, symptoms tend to disappear once they leave the building.

It’s important to appreciate that sick building syndrome is highly prevalent, especially in connection with air quality, affecting both new and renovated office buildings in the United States.

Allergens in Carpeted Offices

Carpet can make office spaces feel warmer, but it also requires special maintenance.

Carpet fibers tend to trap dust, pollen, and other airborne particles. Over time, these substances can accumulate. Unfortunately, routine vacuuming may not be sufficient to fully remove particles. That is why it is essential to invest in specialized carpet cleaning methods to remove deeply embedded particles. While this doesn’t need to be a daily task, you should make it part of long-term maintenance in high-traffic environments.

In conclusion, designing a healthy workplace extends far beyond meeting obvious health and safety standards. Elements that may not be visible to the naked eye can affect the health of your team in dramatic ways.

—End of Collaborative Post—