When gauging how the workplace will change post-pandemic, expect healthy building considerations to be at the forefront.
As a strategy, planning to implement a ‘healthy building’ refers to an emerging area of thought that purports to enhance the physical, psychological, and social health and well-being of people in buildings. As people spend more and more time indoors, optimizing those interior environments has come under increasing scrutiny as a necessary way to improve all aspects of how we spend the majority of our time.
Today we’ll dive into what planning for a healthy building entails, and how professional cleaning and disinfecting services augment and complement such plans. As businesses prepare to re-engage — with the public at large and their employees — with re-opened workspaces, figuring out how to make those spaces healthy and welcoming will be at the top of mind for companies. Employing healthy building concepts will loom large in those considerations for proactive organizations.
What Are Healthy Building Concepts?
In 2017, the Harvard School of Public Health published ‘The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building,’ which offered a list of nine attributes or factors of an interior environment that can impact the health and well-being of those dwelling or working there. According to the publication, the nine core concepts of a healthy building include ventilation, air quality, thermal health, moisture, dust and pests, safety and security, water quality, noise, and lighting and views.
The theory presents the thinking that by improving the levels of each of the nine factors, humans would be able to drastically improve the quality of life spent inside — whether at home or in their place of work. And improving that interior life should be a priority given the amount of time people now spend indoors. According to a National Human Activity Survey from the early 2000s, Americans spend — on average — 87 percent of their time in enclosed buildings (work and home). Of the remaining 13 percent, nearly half (6 percent) was spent inside enclosed vehicles.
With an increased focus on interior environments brought on by the concerns of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations will be looking for a blueprint or framework to build on in creating return-to-work improvement plans. Healthy building concepts offer a starting point for organizations looking for a launch pad or additional ideas.
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Regular Cleaning and Disinfecting Plans are Essential
Professional, commercial-grade, high-quality cleaning and disinfecting will directly impact several of the nine factors of a healthy building mindset.
The most obvious impact of regular cleaning services will be seen in the dust and pests category. By consistently cleaning surfaces and common areas — floors, walls, desktops, counters, etc. — the overall aesthetic of the facility will be improved, and by eliminating dust, dirt, and other such materials you’ll improve the breathability of the air circulating throughout the building as well.
In today’s environment, regular disinfection services will provide both health-related and psychological benefits. With such services, your business will provide a healthier environment that will dramatically decrease the chances of employees or customers from getting ill or contracting a virus in your facility. Knowing that an organization is doing its part to protect the workplace will also help those that work at or frequent that facility feel better and safer in such a space.
Such services will help your workforce be more productive and efficient, and help mark your organization in a positive fashion with customers and clients. You’re proving that health and safety are important to your organization by embracing healthy building thinking.
Adherence to healthy building concepts won’t just affect the health and well-being of your workers and customers. It will also affect the bottom line. In 2019 (pre-pandemic), absenteeism and lost productivity due to illness cost U.S. employers approximately $575 billion, or $3,900 per employee. According to further analysis from the Integrated Benefits Institute, workers missed a combined 1.5 billion days of work due to illness in 2019. Furthermore, despite employees averaging seven sick days taken per year, 30 percent still said they go to work even while feeling ‘sick.’
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Jani-King Has the Experience to Address Healthy Building Concerns
Clearly, utilizing consistent, professional-quality cleaning and disinfecting services will positively affect your organization’s ability to address some issues associated with healthy building protocol. And Jani-King’s experience, insight, and dedication to the details involved will ensure you get the results you seek.
Jani-King of Cleveland will use a full three-stage plan to guarantee client-pleasing results. First, we’ll conduct a full risk assessment survey that will go over your entire facility to identify needed areas of focus or key touchpoints for instance. Then we’ll implement a plan to cover those areas (and how often) while using specialized tools like electrostatic spraying. Finally, we’ll review the process after completion to make sure it’s working.
Jani-King, after thorough cleaning, will follow up with full-service disinfection using EPA-registered disinfectants that can kill the COVID-19 virus in just one minute. Our training means that all best practices — like adhering to dwell times — will be followed. Take no chances with your post-pandemic recovery plans, go with the trusted, professional cleaning services of Jani-King.
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