Indoor Air Quality Testing Services for Commercial & Industrial Environments

Managing and maintaining the indoor air quality of a large building, whether it is used for commercial, industrial, or manufacturing purposes, is complicated yet extremely important to the well being and comfort of the building occupants. If you own or manage one of these buildings, you know air quality is one of those things that, if it's good, it goes unnoticed, but if its bad, well, you are certain to hear about it.

Some common causes of poor indoor air quality are smoke, exhaust, mold, pests, VOCs (from paints, chemicals, pesticides, cleaning products, etc.), formaldehyde, dust, and strong odors. Some indoor inhalants are annoying or irritating, while others, such as asbestos, black mold, and legionella, can be harmful to human health. If you suspect something in the air is making your building occupants sick, be sure to call ARA or other certified IAQ Professional for help.

While odors and dust may be annoying to the occupants in a building, it is when the pollutants start affecting people's health that building managers will choose to call in a professional for help. The most common health complaints related to commercial/industrial IAQ and manufacturing IAQ situations are headaches, fatigue, itchy eyes, itchy skin, sinus problems and coughing. If the symptoms linger while the person remains inside the building and go away when they leave, that is a good indication that there's a problem with the building's indoor air quality.

If your tenants or employees are smelling odors and / or experiencing health issues related to time spent in your building, ARA can help. Our industrial air quality investigations and commercial air testing services are performed by our trained and certified staff. When you call or email us with your commercial IAQ / manufacturing IAQ concern, here is what you can expect to happen:

• A member of our IAQ team will discuss your concerns with you over the phone, and book a date to come out and perform an assessment of your building, often that same week.
• At the site, we will view the areas of concern, and go over the specific complaints and issues you've received.
• We will interview the occupants, addressing the details of their discomfort and relevant info.
• We will  then proceed through the building to perform a thorough assessment. A visual assessment is paramount to a successful IAQ investigation, and our experienced, credentialed staff knows just where to look and what to look for.
• Moisture meters, thermal imager, smoke tubes, air cassettes, tape sampling supplies and a plethora of other tools help us on our quest to investigate and resolve your problem, and our decades of experience don't hurt either!
• When necessary, environmental samples are collected and brought to in our in-house laboratory for analysis.
• Your completed lab report is reviewed by an on-staff certified IAQ consultant, who compares the report against the notes from the site visit, confirming that the data results support the physical findings on site.
• You will receive a report outlining the condition of the building, the findings from the site visit, and lab results, which is usually preceded by a phone call to discuss your questions and possible next steps.

If you manage commercial, industrial, or manufacturing buildings and you have questions about your indoor air quality, give us a call to book a consultation.

Helpful Links: 

OSHA FAQs Page

Assuring safe, healthy conditions for working men & women.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)

SBS is a term often used when levels of human discomfort and an increase in health complaints seem to correlate to the time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. This page on EPA.gov describes the SBS syndrome, and provides some useful resolution tips. 

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is a term used by CDC to describe the quality of a building’s environment as it relates to the health and wellbeing of those who occupy the space. This page on CDC.gov gives an overview, with links to specific indoor air issues.