Last updated: March 25, 2022
Every employer is required to implement an action plan aimed at eliminating or reducing occupational hazards in the workplace. In fact, employers must ensure the safety and protect the physical and mental health of their employees, including temporary workers.
In addition to these well-documented occupational risks, which are specific to certain professions (podiatrists, hairdressers, dentists, etc.), there are biological risks associated with the presence of microorganisms, which many professionals may encounter in the course of their work.
Monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a key role in managing these risks, which can be caused by exposure to airborne pollutants in the workplace.
What is collective protective equipment (CPE)?
This refers to a device, mechanism, apparatus, or system capable of protecting employees from one or more occupational hazards and thereby limiting their consequences. The equipment is classified as collective protection if it ensures the safety of both the employee assigned to the workstation and that of other people in the vicinity (customers, patients, visitors, etc.). It serves as a means of preventing workplace accidents.
Air pollution: a recognized occupational hazard
In certain professions, the risks can be much greater, and workers in these fields are particularly vulnerable to poor indoor air quality, such as:
- Dental surgeons and dentistsperform many medical procedures, such as drilling, which generates fine particles, and they also use numerous chemicals that emit pollutants harmful to their health and that of their patients.
- Hairdresserswho use a variety of chemical products on a daily basis for washing, dyeing, bleaching, etc., and who are exposed to high levels of fine particles from fine, airborne hair, bleaching powders, perm solutions, and other products…
- Podiatristswho, when creating insoles or filing nails, release particles and chemicals—particularly when bonding insoles with adhesives or resins containing formaldehyde.
Indoor air quality is a significant health risk factor for healthcare professionals that must not be overlooked. For this reason, it is essential to implement preventive measures to improve indoor air quality in order to protect both their health and the health of those who visit their facilities (patients, clients, family members, etc.).
How does indoor air quality affect biological risks?
Biological hazards are associated with the presenceof biological agents (viruses and coronaviruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi) in the workplace. Classified into four groups based on the level of risk they pose, they can cause illness among workers. Healthcare workers are among the most exposed professionals (personal care services, hospitals, and clinics, etc.), as they are in constant contact with patients. There are also risks in other sectors and public places: schools, offices, hotels, and restaurants…
The health crisis has highlighted the impact and consequences that indoor air can have on health, including the major role it plays in the transmission of microorganisms (through the inhalation of airborne microdroplets). Various studies have indeed demonstrated their high transmissibility via aerosols. It has become essential to improve indoor air quality to protect and reassure occupants.
Why is EOLIS Air Manager an EPC?
Recognized by independent laboratories for its unmatched effectiveness and performance, the EOLIS Air Manager professional air purifier from NatéoSanté 99.97% of airborne pollutants and eliminates 99.6% of coronaviruses from indoor air.
It continuously protects everyone’s health, whether they work in high-risk occupations or are professionals who come into contact with others as part of their work (colleagues, clients, patients, visitors, suppliers, children, etc.). In the current health context, and when used in conjunction with other preventive measures, the professional air purifier provides everyone with peace of mind regarding the airborne transmission of the virus responsible for COVID-19.
More information on the health risks associated with air quality
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