Daydreaming Might Be a Sign You Need To Improve Your Indoor Ventilation

How to Reduce the Risk of COVID-19 Airborne Transmission in Stuffy Offices

Your New Productivity Hack

2-minute read

Why CO₂ Levels Matter

CO₂ levels are one of the quickest indicators of poor ventilation in a space. In science class, we learned that humans inhale oxygen and exhale CO₂. When environmental sensors, like Spaceti’s, detect high CO₂ levels in an area, it means expelled air is not being replaced with fresh oxygen, indicating a lack of ventilation.

You can track CO₂ data on the dashboard and compare it with occupancy rates to assess air quality.

Good ventilation reduces the risk of airborne virus transmission. If CO₂ levels are too high, ventilation is inadequate, increasing the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading in the workplace.

Office ventilation illustration

How to Improve Airflow and Reduce Risk

The following suggestions are adapted from reports by the WHO, CDC, and the research article, “Intermittent Occupancy Combined with Ventilation: An Efficient Strategy for the Reduction of Airborne Transmission Indoors”.

Turn on ventilation before occupants enter a room. If possible, keep ventilation running or open windows during breaks to ensure fresh air circulation.
Schedule short breaks every hour. Just like in school, taking 10-20 minute breaks between sessions allows airborne particles to dissipate, reducing exposure risk.
Be cautious when increasing room size. While a larger room may dilute airborne particles, it often leads to higher occupancy. The more people in a room, the greater the risk—especially if some are asymptomatic carriers.

If you haven’t yet, read our case study on improving indoor air quality here.

Sources

Melikov, A. K., Ai, Z. T., & Markov, D. G. (2020). Intermittent Occupancy Combined with Ventilation: An Efficient Strategy for the Reduction of Airborne Transmission Indoors. The Science of the Total Environment, 744, 14090. Read the study.
EPA: Ventilation and Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The Conversation: How to Use Ventilation to Prevent Virus Spread Indoors