Poor Air Quality causes HR-Related Issues in Manufacturing

In today’s competitive manufacturing environment, Human Resources (HR) managers and Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) professionals face many challenges, from recruiting and retaining employees to maintaining a safe and productive workplace.

One factor that can be overlooked is indoor air quality. In manufacturing facilities, poor air quality can affect employee comfort, morale, workplace satisfaction, and safety. For companies competing for skilled workers, the condition of the manufacturing environment can also influence whether employees want to stay—and whether prospective employees want to work there.

Morale and Motivation

Imagine spending eight or more hours a day working in an environment filled with visible smoke, oil mist, or coolant mist.

Even when employees become accustomed to these conditions, that does not necessarily mean they are satisfied with their work environment. Poor air quality can make a facility feel dirty, uncomfortable, or poorly maintained.

Employees spend a significant portion of their day at work. Providing a cleaner environment demonstrates that a company is willing to invest in the workplace and the people who work there.

For HR managers and EHS professionals, improving indoor air quality can be one part of creating a workplace where employees feel valued and supported.

Employee Retention and Recruitment

Manufacturing companies are often competing for experienced machinists, maintenance technicians, operators, engineers, and other skilled employees.

Compensation is important, but it is not the only factor employees consider when evaluating a job.

The physical work environment matters too.

A manufacturing facility with excessive smoke or oil mist may create a negative first impression when a prospective employee walks through the plant. Conversely, a clean, well-maintained facility can demonstrate that management takes working conditions seriously.

One maintenance manager at a cold heading facility in the Chicago area told us that he initially turned down a job offer because of the poor air quality in the manufacturing area. About a year later, the company contacted him again after making significant improvements to its air quality. After seeing the improvements, he accepted the position.

This is a good example of how improvements to air quality can influence an employee’s perception of a manufacturing facility.

Health and Safety Concerns

Poor air quality can create health and safety concerns that HR and EHS professionals need to consider.

Depending on the manufacturing process, airborne contaminants may include:

• Oil smoke
• Oil mist
• Coolant mist
• Welding fume
• Dust
• Grinding particulate
• Other process-generated contaminants

Airborne oil and coolant mist can irritate the eyes and respiratory system. In addition, contaminants that settle onto floors and other surfaces can create housekeeping and slip hazards.

The specific hazards associated with a contaminant depend on the material, concentration, duration of exposure, and manufacturing process. Proper industrial hygiene assessments should be used to determine the appropriate controls.

Poor Air Quality Can Affect More Than Employees

Airborne contaminants do not necessarily stay in the immediate area where they are generated.

Oil mist and smoke can travel throughout a manufacturing facility when source capture and air filtration are inadequate. Over time, contaminants may settle on:

• Floors
• Walls
• Equipment
• Windows
• Workstations
• Electrical components

This can increase housekeeping requirements and make a facility more difficult to maintain.

Properly designed source-capture and filtration systems can help capture contaminants before they spread throughout the facility.

Strategies for Improving Air Quality

Improving indoor air quality usually requires more than simply installing an air cleaner. The best solution begins by understanding where the contaminants originate and why they are entering the workplace.

1. Evaluate the Process

The first question should be:

Can the process itself be changed to reduce the amount of smoke or mist being generated?

Changes to coolant application, machine enclosures, tooling, operating conditions, or other manufacturing processes may reduce the amount of airborne contamination.

2. Identify the Source

Determine which machines and processes are producing the most smoke or mist.

Source identification helps determine whether individual source-capture systems, centralized filtration, ambient air cleaning, or a combination of approaches would be most effective.

3. Improve Source Capture

Capturing contaminants as close to their source as possible is often one of the most effective ways to prevent them from spreading throughout a facility.

Properly designed hoods, ductwork, machine enclosures, and source-capture systems can remove contaminants before they enter the general workplace air.

4. Select the Right Filtration System

Different pollutants require different filtration methods.

Oil smoke, coolant mist, welding fume, and dry dust should not automatically be treated the same way. Selecting an air filtration system based on the pollutant, particle size, concentration, airflow requirements, and manufacturing process is essential.

Bee Clean Specialties provides a variety of industrial filtration systems, including electrostatic air cleaners, oil mist collectors, media filtration, and other solutions designed for manufacturing applications.

5. Maintain the Equipment

Even the best filtration systems like SmogHogs®, MistBusters®, and Absolents®
 will not perform properly if it is neglected.

Regular preventative maintenance helps ensure that:

• Filters remain effective.
• Airflow is maintained.
• Collection cells remain clean.
• Motors and blowers operate properly.
• Problems are identified before they become major failures.

A consistent maintenance program is essential for keeping an air filtration system performing as designed.

6. Educate Employees

Employees can also help improve workplace air quality.

Simple practices such as keeping machine doors, cabinets, and conveyor covers closed when possible can help prevent smoke and mist from escaping into the facility.

Air Quality Is an HR and EHS Issue

Indoor air quality is not simply an equipment or maintenance issue. For manufacturing companies, it can also affect employee satisfaction, recruitment, retention, housekeeping, and workplace safety.

HR and EHS professionals should consider air quality when evaluating the overall employee experience within a facility.

Investing in better air filtration can help create a cleaner and more comfortable workplace while also demonstrating that management takes its employees and facility seriously.

Bee Clean Specialties has been helping manufacturers improve industrial air quality since 1977. We provide air filtration system design, installation, preventative maintenance, repairs, and filter exchange programs for manufacturing facilities throughout the Midwest.

If poor air quality is affecting your employees or facility, contact Bee Clean Specialties at 888-451-0844 to discuss your application and possible solutions.