Office Solutions

Most of the daylight hours are spent in the office. Yet, the office environment is often unconducive to good health.

Because office buildings are air-conditioned, they have to be kept air-tight in order to reduce cooling costs - and especially so in the tropics like Singapore.

An airtight office building is the cause of Sick Building Syndrome, where people fall sick as a result of bad Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The office building is not unlike a fish tank where the water is not changed, but recirculated through the ducts to the AHU (Air Handling Units) and then back into the rooms again.

Also, air ducts themselves become reservoirs of contaminants, which include germs, submicron particulate matter, and gaseous contaminants.

View movie clip of contaminants circulating inside a typical office duct Broadband connection 56K connection

It is no wonder then that when someone falls sick in the office, others very quickly follow suit.

Although all buildings have filters in their air handling units (AHUs), these filters are low-grade filters meant for keeping large objects from damaging the cooling coils and fins of the air-conditioning system.

It is generally not practical to fit medical-grade filters into the system as these will typically reduce the airflow, which means higher costs for keeping the building cool.

The best solution is to install medical-grade standalone air cleaning units in the rooms required.

Office Ergonomics

The other common indoor condition in the office is back pain due to poor seating posture in front of a desk or computer.

Poor posture results in the spinal column "crushing" in on itself as each vertebra is inadequately supported by the one below it. The common complaints associated with this are pains in the lumbar (lower back) area, thoracic (mid back) or the cervical (neck) area.

Sitting posture can be improved dramatically by using chiropractor-approved backrest supports. These can be easily placed on an office chair to obtain a customized S-shape support that keeps the lumbar rested.