How to Go Green With Workplace Health & Safety
Going "green" includes more than just reducing, reusing and recycling materials. Incorporating green ideas into your workplace can significantly reduce overhead costs and your company's environmental impact, while improving health and safety.
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Things You'll Need
- VOC-free furniture, carpet and paint
- Compact fluorescent lights
- Green chemicals
Instructions
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Instructions
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The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates a level of indoor air quality for various facilities and work environments. Depending on your job, it is possible the indoor air quality of your work environment is not as high as it could be due to contamination from toxic chemicals. There are simple changes you can make to help clear the air and become compliant with or exceed OSHA standards. Choosing environmentally-friendly furniture, paint and carpeting can help reduce the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are harmful to the environment and human health. VOCs are linked to cancer, birth defects and endocrine disruption. Look for green furniture options--for example, items certified by Greenguard--to reduce the presence of VOCs.
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OSHA has specific safety standards regulating lighting output in the workplace. For instance, OSHA standard 1926.56(a), Tunnel Illumination Requirements, addresses the lighting required in tunnels to ensure worker safety. Greening your lighting will make your workplace safer; compact fluorescent lights last longer than incandescent lights, while consuming less energy. Compact fluorescent lights, for example, reduce the chance of a light blowing out
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Some cleaners are more harmful to the environment than others. Go green by switching to biodegradable soaps and cleaners that are used by custodians. Many suppliers, such as SimpleGreen.com, provide a variety of green industrial-strength cleaners. Also, buy cleaners in bulk to reduce shipping and packaging waste.
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