Did you know that the average American spends 90% of their lives indoors? When living in a home or working in an area that suffers from poor indoor air quality, indoor air pollution can posit several threats to the inhabitant’s health and wellness. For professionals in the field, there are precautions you can take to eliminate indoor air quality stress from your jobs.
In recent troubling times, many indoor air quality professionals are feeling an increased level of stress related to their jobs. As an IAQ professional, it’s important to stay on top of your mental and physical wellbeing. These are a few tips on how you can help reduce your stress levels.
Focus on PPE
One of the easiest ways to reduce your stress levels while working as an IAQ professional is to wear the correct type of PPE, or personal protective equipment. The pandemic has highlighted the necessity of PPE for healthcare workers, but its importance can often be overlooked for tradespeople.
Some of the PPE that you could consider wearing as an IAQ professional include:
- Face shield
- Eye goggles
- Respirator
- Mask
- Hazmat suit
- Gloves
Your choice in PPE will depend on the area that you’re working in and the requirements of the job.
For example, a mask and gloves are necessary when working with air filters. To further decrease stress levels, you could also consider spraying a solution of bleach on to the air filter before handling it. After every job, and perhaps even during, hand sanitizer is an important item to have on hand for the safety of both you and your clients.
Consider Updating Your Training
Another way you could reduce your stress levels while working as an indoor air quality professional is to update or further your training. For those already employed and involved in the HVAC world, it’s important to remember that the industry is constantly improving. Especially now, as indoor air quality becomes part of the everyday vocabulary, there are consistently new topics and products to be familiar with. Ensuring that you’re always up to date with the current HVAC and IAQ offerings can greatly aid in stress reduction.
Keep Yourself Updated
Additionally, in today’s new normal, it’s also important to stay updated on the latest official information about indoor air quality to keep stress levels low. Be careful to only get information from reliable resources, such as ashrae.org or epa.gov. Trained and trusted professionals have researched the information and official reports published on these websites. Learning about the best ways to keep your chances of coming into contact with a dangerous hazard will significantly reduce your stress levels.
Reducing Indoor Air Quality Stress
By following these above-listed tips, you can significantly help to reduce your stress levels as an indoor air quality professional. Keeping yourself updated on the latest training and information will not only help to keep you safe but will also help to reduce your stress levels greatly.
