| Indoor air
quality is the biggest issue currently facing the
American worker, according to a newly released
membership survey from the American Industrial
Hygiene Association (AIHA).
The survey conducted every three years, is
designed to review member perceptions about the
profession of occupational and environmental
health and safety, as well as challenges facing
the American workplace. The association
represents nearly 12,500 professionals in the
field of occupational and environmental health
and safety.
More than 40 percent of members surveyed named
IAQ the first or second most important health
issue for workers. AIHA's members noted several
other key concerns for the nation's workforce.
These include workplace reproductive hazards,
environmental lead, and the creation and
implementation of an ergonomics standard. Such a
standard, though voluntary, could greatly
influence and improve physical working conditions
for a variety of employees, including the
millions of office workers who spend hours a day
at computer workstations.
Meanwhile, in another big survey for the Chelsea
Group Ltd. in Itasca, Ill., 75 percent of people
who are employed fulltime ranked the quality of
air at work as very important. This is the second
survey on consumer perceptions about indoor air
quality that Chelsea Group has released in a
month.
"Looking at the employed fulltime population
surveyed, not only did 75 percent think air
quality in the work place is very important and
another 20 percent think it is somewhat
important, but only 3.1 percent said that it was
not important," said Chairman and CEO George Benda.
Of that same survey population, more than 80
percent think that the quality of air in their
homes is very important. More than 80 percent of
the employed fulltime population also said they
would spend their own discretionary income on one
of four IAQ improvements at home, including
products and services that would get rid of
germs, bacteria, mold , dust, and odors, and to
improve air quality in their homes.
In both home and the workplace, more than 95
percent of those surveyed think that the quality
of the air is somewhat or very important, he
said.
During last month's survey, 1,000 adults were
interviewed by telephone over a three-day period.
Of the survey population, 585 respondents
identified themselves as employed full time.
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