How To Check Air Quality
Rob UltraProtect • August 12, 2022

Air quality can impact your workplace and general health more than you may initially think it would. People are often left unaware of the air quality around them and of the harm that poor air quality can have on your health. Many people also have no idea of the environmental impact of poor air quality. 


It is becoming increasingly important for people to understand the impact of poor air quality and how they can check their air quality to keep themselves as safe as possible. It is also critical for the public to be able to spot the signs of
poor air quality and be able to combat this. In this article, we will explore the different tests that can be carried out to test air quality and provide solutions that can be used to improve air quality.

Why Is Air Quality Important

Many people don’t give a second thought to the air quality around them. The average human inhales approximately 13kg of air daily. If the air around us is impure, it can potentially force us to inhale some dangerous chemicals, gases and particles. Air pollution is invisible and is extremely easy to ignore if you choose to, but this doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Air pollution is very real and can potentially be dangerous if someone is consistently exposed to poor air quality. 


When we are indoors, the air we breathe is often much more damaging than the polluted air outside. This makes it much more hazardous to not check air quality when we are indoors. The good thing is that while we are indoors, we have much more control over our environment and can influence air quality much more directly. 


Testing Air Quality


Use Indoor Air Quality Monitor

If you’re looking for a quick, easy and cost-effective way to test the air quality of your indoor environment, an air quality monitor is the best way to do it. Monitoring levels of air pollution is a key step towards taking back control of the air pollution levels in your home or workplace. An air quality monitor can test many variables in the air, including:


  • Humidity.
  • Temperature.
  • Carbon Dioxide (Co2)
  • Particular Matter PM2.5 (dust, other allergens, and particles in the airspace).
  • Levels of particulate matter
  • Air Quality Index


Co2 is one of the main issues internally as it affects the performance of people in offices, schools, meeting rooms and more. Remove it and you will certainly increase performance, attention levels, productivity, profits and the health of those who use the space, making air quality monitoring a must!


Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms

Some of the most dangerous things that can hurt us indoors are not visible. Carbon monoxide is very high on that list and should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Carbon monoxide alarms consistently monitor the air to ensure carbon monoxide levels are safe and the occupants of the building are not in danger. 


A carbon monoxide alarm is a cost-effective and important tool that can save lives in your home or workplace. 


Air Purifiers

There is an increasingly prominent worry regarding the levels of air pollution we are breathing in, and this is only becoming a more significant issue as time goes on. As we pay more attention to how air can affect our general health, we must look for ways to combat this and clean the air around us. This is where an air purifier comes into its own. 


With air indoors not circulating nearly as much as outdoor air, it is important to be able to refresh stale air and reduce the chance of air pollutants affecting your health. Indoor air pollutants can seriously affect you, aggravating pre-existing conditions like asthma and causing respiratory problems to take hold. Air purifiers eliminate this worry, cleaning and recycling the air to eliminate the threat caused by many different kinds of air pollutants. 


Vacuum Cleaner

When we look at air pollutants, dust is one of the most common things that can affect air quality. When dust is inhaled, it can cause respiratory problems and cause long-term problems like triggering asthma. Dust can become an issue when disturbed and sent into the air from walls and floors. The easiest way to combat this and ensure you minimise the risk that dust poses is by using a vacuum cleaner. 


Using a vacuum cleaner regularly eliminates the risk of a build-up of dust being sent into the air and getting into the lungs of you and your colleagues. Using a vacuum cleaner will not completely eliminate air pollutants. Still, it will significantly reduce the amount of debris being sent into the air and inhaled. It effectively manages air pollution levels and ensures no dust or other debris can become unsettled and further damage pollution levels. 


Dust & Weld Fume Extractor

When working in the construction industry, dust and fumes from machinery become commonplace and difficult to work with. Fumes can be dangerous when inhaled regularly and cause respiratory problems if not managed properly. In this case, having a Dust and Weld Fume Extractor at your disposal can be a major help. 


Extractors can quickly and effectively remove most of the dangerous fumes and debris from the air, leaving you with a healthy workplace and clean air. If you need to combat a constant stream of fumes and debris in your air and need to remove this on an industrial scale, an extractor will be perfect for you. 


Call A Professional

It can be challenging to keep on top of your air quality, and it can be important to know where to start. When it comes to safety in the workplace, air quality is an element that seriously goes under the radar. With air quality being such an important section of workplace safety, calling in professionals that know what they’re doing to make your workplace safer can help. 


Here at Ultra Protect, we are specialists in air quality and are dedicated to providing you with the highest-quality advice to help you on your road to a safer office and more pure air. By getting the right advice from the right source, you ensure that you can take your first step in the right direction towards a safer and healthier environment. 


If you have any questions about how we can help you bring your indoor air quality up to top condition,
get in touch! Our team of air quality experts are happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can browse our wide range of air quality equipment. Take the first steps towards cleaner air and a happier working environment today! 


Related Articles

We hope you found this piece helpful and insightful. If you did, here are some other articles that we think would be perfect for you:


- The Dangers of Dust in the Workplace

- Why Ventilation is Important

- What are Dust Blockers?

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If you're responsible for health and safety in your workplace, you've probably encountered the terms "workplace exposure level," "TWA," and "STEL." But what do they actually mean, and why do they matter for dust management? The simple answer: these are legal limits set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to protect workers from harmful dust exposure. If you're not monitoring them, you're flying blind and potentially breaking the law. What is Workplace Exposure Level? A workplace exposure level (WEL) is the maximum amount of a harmful substance that a worker can be exposed to during their working day without suffering adverse health effects. For dust, it's measured in milligrams per cubic metre of air (mg/m³). The HSE sets these limits based on scientific evidence about how different dust types affect human health. Different dusts have different exposure limits because they pose different risks. For example, the WEL for respirable crystalline silica is far stricter than for general inert dust, because silica is significantly more harmful to the lungs. Think of it this way: the WEL is your compliance baseline. If dust concentrations in your workplace stay below this limit, you're meeting your legal obligation. If they exceed it, you have a duty to investigate why and take corrective action. Download the HSEs guidance on workplace exposure limits If you want to understand the levels in your workplace contact us about our silica air sampling services TWA: The 8-Hour Average TWA stands for Time-Weighted Average, and it's the most commonly referenced exposure limit. The TWA measures the average concentration of a substance over a standard 8-hour working day. Here's why that matters: dust exposure isn't constant. Workers might face high concentrations during certain activities (cutting, grinding, demolition) and lower concentrations during others. The TWA accounts for these fluctuations by averaging them out over the full shift. This recognises that workers can tolerate brief periods of higher exposure, provided the average stays within acceptable limits. For example, the current WEL for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ as an 8-hour TWA. This means that if a construction worker is grinding stone for part of their shift but doing lower-dust tasks for the rest, the daily average should not exceed this level. The advantage of TWA is that it's practical for real-world work. Few jobs maintain constant dust levels. The disadvantage is that it can mask dangerous peaks, if a worker is exposed to very high concentrations for a short period, the TWA might still look acceptable. STEL: The Short-Term Exposure Limit STEL stands for Short-Term Exposure Limit, and it's your safety net for peak exposures. A STEL is the maximum concentration a worker should experience during any 15-minute period in a working day, and no more than four such periods should occur, with at least 60 minutes between them. The STEL exists precisely because the TWA can obscure dangerous peaks. Imagine a worker exposed to very high silica dust for 15 minutes whilst cutting stone, then lower levels for the rest of the day. The TWA might be within limits, but those 15 minutes could still cause significant lung damage. There should be a maximum of 4 STEL's in a single working day and there must be at least 60-minutes between each STEL period. Not all dusts have a STEL, but those that do (like respirable crystalline silica) reflect a recognition that short, intense exposures carry genuine health risks that the 8-hour average doesn't capture. Reducing personal exposure to inhalable dust with Cleanspace Respirators