Air Quality and High Temperatures
Some employees experience problems with poor air quality and / or high CO2 levels in rooms without mechanical ventilation. In the summer months, periods of uncomfortably high temperatures can also be experienced.
In buidlings with mechanical window opening, automatic venting in the morning has been programmed in several places.
There are also things you can do to ensure adequate temperature and fresh air without experiencing unpleasant draught. The most important thing is ventilation. You are advised to air the room during breaks where you can open both the door and window(s) to allow quick change of air. If you are sharing an office, you can make agreements on times for ventilation. Also, keep in mind that extra ventilation is needed when there are more people in the office to reduce the CO2 level.
During unusually hot periods, acceptable working temperatures in all offices cannot be guaranteed, and alternative solutions may be required. However, the following actions can reduce and delay the problem:
- Air the room before it gets too hot.
- Close the sun curtains before the sun hits.
- Close the windows before it gets very hot outside, and instead open your door to create ventilation.
- Avoid to turn on electrical devices unnecessarily - they also create heat.
- Is your office neighbour out of the office? Then air the his / her room when the temperature is relatively low outside to keep the temperature down.
Please talk to your leader or working environment representative if an acceptable room temperature is not feasible and an alternative solution must be found.
You can find much more information and good advice about the indoor climate in this folder from Technical Services.
Unpleasant Smells
Most problems with unpleasant smells can be avoided, and you are all asked to please observe the following, especially in shared offices:
- Don’t eat “smelly foods” in the office (i.e., fruit and coffee etc. is ok)
- Don’t keep (unwashed) sports clothes, shoes and the like in the office (or keep it in a closed bag). Also lab and workshop equipment and materials belong in the labs and workshops
- Don’t put food in the bin in your office. Also avoid banana peels, apple cores etc. during the summer (attract insects). Please use the bins in the kitchens or in the recesses by the coffee / tea vending machines; they are emptied every day
- Please keep the doors to the kitchens closed. This serves two purposes: Containing food smell so that it doesn’t spread to the neighbouring offices, as well as preventing theft (unfortunately we have experienced that things disappear from the kitchens)
Thank you very much for taking your “office neighbour” into consideration.