The coronavirus has brought us all back to earth. The social and economic impact of the health crisis is enormous.
It is a wake-up call: we humans are vulnerable to viruses and will remain so in the coming period. Because covid-19 is not gone yet and it will certainly not be the last dangerous virus to raise its head. In this blog you will learn what the conditions are for a healthy workplace and how you can easily create this.
Ensure that the workplace complies with all guidelines
Although working from home is increasingly the norm, we will certainly continue to go to the office. After all, we are social beings who need to work together and look each other in the eye. A requirement is that the office is a healthy working environment. The call from employees for a safe and healthy workplace is therefore increasing. This call is also supported by guidelines from recognized bodies such as the Working conditions service, the RIVM and the GGD.
As an employer, building owner or landlord you will have to monitor this. Saying that your building meets all guidelines and requirements is no longer enough. You must also be able to actually demonstrate it. A building can be made 'smart' very easily so that you can demonstrate with reliable data that the building is safe and healthy. Measuring is knowing. The good news? This does not even have to be expensive. Making a building smart can be done for a fixed amount per month.
HEALTHY AIR IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BASIC CONDITION
Our experience as a Smart Building specialist shows that there are a number of basic conditions for employees to function well in the office. The most important condition is healthy air.
The amount of CO2 in a room gives an indication of how (un)healthy the air is. Healthy air is created by good ventilation and is easy to measure with CO2 sensors. The CO2 content is measured in PPM, Parts per Million. The GGD guideline for a healthy climate in the Netherlands is 800 PPM. In Belgium this is 900 PPM according to the WTCB and the High Health Council. Good ventilation is therefore crucial for healthy air. If this does not happen, the CO2 level increases and this can lead to all kinds of physical complaints among employees, such as:
- Feeling of discomfort due to, for example, odor nuisance and cold/heat complaints);
- Headache, fatigue and drowsiness. These complaints increase during the day;
- Decreased concentration;
- Mucous membrane irritations and other 'sick building complaints' (e.g. 'dry air' complaints);
- Unnecessary transmission of infectious diseases through the air, leading to colds and flu, among other things;
- Worsening of allergies such as hay fever and food allergies;
- (Extra) asthma attacks in employees with asthma.
A CO2 sensor measures the air exchange and the actual PPM value in a room. The sensors help to improve the air quality. The well-known Belgian virologist Mark van Ranst advocates hanging a CO2 meter in every classroom. Geert Bellens, expert in air quality at consultancy firm METIZ, also believes that CO2 is a good indicator of healthy air. Why exactly? You can read more about that in his article.*
In addition to healthy air, a pleasant temperature and sufficient light are basic conditions for a healthy working environment. This is also easy to measure and map with sensors.
We drink our own champagne
Now we have acquired this knowledge over the years, but what do we do with it ourselves? We drink our own champagne of course. The MCS office is now full of smart sensors (CO2, temperature, humidity) that tell us whether the office climate is okay. But we also measure the noise level, the workplace occupancy and whether there are still parking spaces available.
We have connected these sensors to our own Private LoRa network. The network infrastructure of Private LoRa is comparable to a wireless WiFi network, but specially constructed and optimized for Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
IoT infrastructure forms the basis
Once the network infrastructure is in place, it is simply a matter of hanging suitable sensors in the right places. Think of demo rooms, open-plan offices and canteens. And the good news is that this can be done for a fixed low monthly fee, comparable to a flat fee mobile subscription.
The smart sensors that you can then connect are battery powered and therefore very accessible. So you don't need any special sockets or cabling to make them work. In fact, you can say that once you have the IoT infrastructure, 'the sky is the limit' in what you want to know and measure.
Knowing more
We invite you to take a digital look at our optimized office. You can easily do this by logging in to our indoor smart building portal (username: demo, password: demo).
We also recently organised a webinar that focused on Smart Building and smart sensors. This webinar focuses on here ready for you so that you can explore the options at your leisure.
Still want to come by 'live' to discuss your questions with us? You are very welcome. At an appropriate distance and of course according to the RIVM guidelines. Please contact one of our IoT specialists.
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