A county-wide scheme is helping to keep local employees safe by improving the air quality in work places.
Staffordshire County Council is offering small businesses the chance to borrow a hand-held carbon dioxide monitor for free to help identify areas within premises where CO2 is high.
It comes after research showed that a room with fresh air reduce the transmission of respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 and flu by as much as 70%.
Cllr Philip White, Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills, said:
“Proper workplace ventilation is an essential way for businesses to protect their business and their workforce by reducing the risk of Covid-19 spreading.
“Ensuring adequate fresh air is a legal obligation, but it’s hard for businesses to know how much ventilation is enough, and exactly where in the building it’s needed.
“Over half of the businesses that have already borrowed a device have found that they have hotspots, such as busy meeting rooms, that show levels of CO2 that would indicate a higher risk.
“But with just two weeks of regular testing, many have found relatively easy ways to mitigate it and keep their staff and business safe.”
Cllr Philip White, Staffordshire County Council
Businesses can express an interest to borrow a hand-held monitor for free at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/CarbonDioxideMonitors.
