5 Air Quality Improvement Strategies for Your Contracting Business

When you run a contracting business, you have to worry about air quality, inside and out. Unfortunately, there are times when the air quality is horrible, and you need to have a way to manage it. The good news is that there are a variety of tools and strategies you can use. Here are five things to consider.

Improve Ventilation
In most cases, you could improve the ventilation of any space that you’re working in. On the construction site, you may have fewer options, but you should still do your research. When you are renovating an older building, you shouldn’t assume that the ventilation will be adequate or even functional. Old vents don’t always lead straight to the outdoors, and they may be insufficient as well. Don’t hesitate to bring portable devices to ventilate the space, like an extractor fan or even an air purifier. Just make sure to use tools that are rated for the types of pollution that you’re dealing with, and follow other safety practices as well.

Seal Contaminated Areas
One of the biggest problems that you have for air quality on the construction site is the potential for contamination. For example, you may have one employee working with hazardous materials on one part of the site, while others are doing other tasks nearby. It’s not enough to assume that the person who is working with potential toxins is wearing appropriate gear. You have to devise a way to seal off the contaminants, so they don’t spread to other places. In existing buildings, this might look like sealing the room. In an outdoor area, using plastic to create barriers may be a practical choice.

Increase Filtration
Ventilation involves moving air from one place to another. It isn’t always sufficient, because sometimes the air that you are trying to bring in from the outside is worse than the air indoors. That’s how the ventilation system can sometimes be a source of pollutants, in and of itself. Better filtration is a way to combat this problem. When you think about ventilation options for your workspace, evaluate the types of filtration that you need and how to use them effectively. Even the best filter isn’t going to do a great job if it doesn’t get changed frequently enough.

Wear the Right Kind of Mask
Although ventilation and filtration are important tools to help you maintain better air quality on the construction site, you still need to protect yourself. You already know that you need to wear the right types of protective masks whenever you’re working with contaminants. Masks have filters, and you can research them based on the types of filtration they provide. The mask has to have a tight fit and a filter that hasn’t lost efficacy. And when the air outside is particularly bad, due to wildfires or other environmental hazards, don’t hesitate to improve your use of masking there, too.

Time Your Work Appropriately
Unlike indoor space, outdoor air quality can change significantly throughout the day. You’ll notice that the air quality is better when there is regular wind flow and fewer pollutants. Pay attention to the air quality reports for the area, and see if you can spot a pattern from one day to the next. That way, you can time your outdoor work to the parts of the day when air quality is best. You can also spend more time indoors when you need better control over the potential for contamination.

Air quality isn’t just a task for your business. It’s an important factor in your health. To learn more about starting a contracting business, visit CSLS today!