Managing and maintaining the indoor air quality of a large building, whether it is used for commercial, industrial, or manufacturing purposes, is complicated yet extremely important to the well-being and comfort of the building occupants.
Some common causes of poor indoor air quality are smoke, exhaust, mold, pests, VOCs (from paints, chemicals, pesticides, cleaning products, etc.), formaldehyde, dust, and strong odors. Some indoor inhalants are annoying or irritating, while others, such as asbestos, black mold, and legionella, can be harmful to human health. If you own or manage a building and something is causing discomfort or illness to your building occupants, it is important that you call ARA or other certified IAQ Professional to investigate.
The most common health complaints we hear from our commercial / industrial / manufacturing IAQ clients include:
- headaches
- fatigue
- dizziness
- itchy, watery, or burning eyes
- itchy skin/rash
- sinus problems
- coughing
If the symptoms linger while the person remains inside the building and go away when they leave, that is a good indication that there’s a problem with the building’s indoor air quality. Sometimes the cause for discomfort is obvious (extreme odors or noise, for example) and sometimes the situation requires further investigation.
Our industrial air quality investigations and commercial air testing services are performed by our trained and certified staff. When you call or email us with your commercial IAQ / manufacturing IAQ concern, here is what you can expect to happen:
- A member of our IAQ team will discuss your concerns with you over the phone and book a date to come out and perform an assessment of your building.
- At the site, we will view the areas of concern, and go over the specific complaints and issues you’ve received.
- We will interview the occupants for details of their discomfort and relevant info.
- We will then proceed through the building to perform a thorough assessment.
- A visual assessment is paramount to a successful IAQ investigation, and our experienced, credentialed staff knows where to look and what to look for.
- Moisture meters, thermal imager, smoke tubes, air cassettes, tape sampling supplies and other tools may be used in the investigation.
- When necessary, environmental samples are collected and brought to in our in-house laboratory for analysis.
- Your completed lab report is reviewed by a certified IAQ consultant, who compares the report against the notes from the site visit, confirming that the data results support the physical findings on site.
- You will receive a report outlining the areas in question, the findings from the site visit, and lab results.
- We are available via phone to discuss your questions and possible next steps.
If you manage commercial, industrial, or manufacturing buildings and you have questions or concerns about your indoor air quality, give us a call to book a consultation.