Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that if the air in enclosed workspaces is not ventilated according to the type of work, it will create serious dangers for the health and safety of employees, and that inadequate ventilation will decrease the air quality in the environment. Uçan noted that especially if the oxygen level in the environment falls below 20 percent, employee performance will decrease, and employees will show symptoms of fatigue.
There should be plenty of oxygen in the air of the work environment!
Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences, pointed out the importance of ventilation in workplaces and made evaluations on proper ventilation.
Inadequate ventilation can reduce performance
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that if the air in enclosed workspaces is not ventilated according to the type of work, it will create serious dangers for the health and safety of employees, and added, “Even in an office environment, where no toxic air is produced by the process, if ventilation is inadequate, the air quality in the environment will decrease, and the inhaled air will turn into polluted air. Especially if the oxygen level in the environment falls below 20 percent, employee performance will decrease, and employees will show symptoms of fatigue.”
Inadequacy may occur in central ventilation systems
Uçan noted that the inadequacy of ventilation and air conditioning systems in central ventilation systems would further amplify this danger, stating, “Because in central ventilation systems, re-conditioning and reusing the air drawn from the environment will cause pollutants in the drawn air to spread to other ventilated locations. For this reason, with the onset of the pandemic, systems that do not operate with 100 percent atmospheric air were advised not to be used in workplaces, shopping malls, and similar enclosed spaces.”
Ventilation of work environments in heavy industry is important
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that when considering the critical importance of ventilation even in office environments, the significance of ventilation in environments where various dusts and gases are present due to process requirements would be better understood. Uçan emphasized that ventilation is extremely important in unventilated workplaces or those in heavy industry, chemical and petroleum processing plants, where chemical gases, smoke, or steam that are dirty and threaten employee health are continuously produced due to process requirements.
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that in these environments, while pollutants indoors are released to the outside environment via the ventilation system, it is also necessary to keep parameters that could create problems for the health and safety of employees under control and ensure they do not exceed reference values.
Ventilation in office environments should be carried out in a healthy manner
Dr. Uçan, pointing out the importance of healthy ventilation in environments where many people work together, including offices, said, “Furthermore, during work, alongside electronic devices such as computers and photocopiers, and in line with the raw materials used in the workplace process, measures for ventilation, dust removal, or waste disposal must be taken for the health and safety of employees, addressing pollutants like dust and gas emitted from all types of production machinery that negatively impact workplace air quality. The measures taken will not only prevent employees from experiencing work accidents and contracting occupational diseases but will also ensure that the environment is not negatively affected by these pollutants.”
There should be plenty of oxygen in the air of the work environment
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan, addressing how ventilation should be in enclosed environments within the scope of occupational health and safety, said, “As we do in our homes, perhaps we can answer the question of what the air quality in a good work environment should be by saying 'air rich in oxygen'. Ventilating environments where many people work together, such as offices, with central ventilation systems, and the ability of these systems to maintain optimum indoor air temperatures on hot and cold days, and to prevent odors and unwanted particles in the air drawn from the outside environment, can be considered sufficient.”
Measures should be taken according to the characteristics of the workplaces
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan emphasized that in environments where production, maintenance, cleaning, and repair work are carried out using various raw materials and chemicals, simply expelling polluted air from the indoor environment to the outside or continuously supplying fresh air to the environment would definitely not be sufficient.
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that measures should be taken in accordance with the characteristics of the workplaces, and said, “Especially in production facilities, it is often not possible to keep the ambient temperature strictly between 22-24°C during summer and winter months, as it is in offices. For instance, it is impossible to provide a working environment of 22-24°C in a foundry with molten metal at 1300°C or in a meat processing plant. Therefore, in order to maintain the health, safety, and performance of employees at a high level in these environments, in addition to using various PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment), methods should be developed to ensure optimal protection from pollution that may arise from the process.”
Faculty Member Dr. Rüştü Uçan also stated that often, ventilation alone might not be sufficient in work environments, adding, “In such cases, various trainings should also be provided to employees on how to protect themselves from dust and gases within the environment.”