We all need a healthy work environment in order to perform our office tasks comfortably with positive outcome. This has a great influence on staff performance, motivation, their efficiency, absenteeism and vigor to increase their productivity.
A physical workplace environment is an integral part of our daily routine office work unless affected by Bad Odour. Though it is quite unusual & funny to think about bad odour inside the office premise but sometimes pulls us back from work & increase the stress level till it gets released completely. It could be due to;
- Dead Rodent stink
- Sewerage stink
- Waste food stink
- Burnt electrical wire stink
- Rust stink
At first instance, it becomes difficult for us to find out the type of stink that is smelling around. Once we identify the type of stink & its root cause, we intend to fix the issue immediately with available resources/service providers. We name it a “Fire fighting “ approach instead we should always be pro active enough to identify such grey areas before hand, measure it, explore the best possible solutions & implement the action/strategy.
While preparing & implementing the strategies, we should question ourselves;
? Are there any possible open Inlets from where the rodent can enter inside the office?
? Have we rented out any premise that has mainhole line opening in the premise?
? Is any AC duct facing/passing by any sewerage shaft available inside the office Layout i.e. AC duct sucking the bad odour?
? Are my employees eating at their respective workstations & dumping the waste food in the dustbins provided beneath their workstations?
? Have we used ISI mark, fire proof electrical wires & branded electrical fittings & fixtures in the electrical set up?
? Any MS (Mild steel) metal sheets/containers used to store water.
Here are some Preventive action steps to curb down such issues & its recurrence;
- Close all the open holes especially through which the main electrical wires & the AC copper piping/drain line & other electrical wires are being routed inside the office. These areas are generally at the backside wall of the office. We can use black cement paste mixed with glass particles & some solid concrete to close these holes permanently. Make the main hole cover accessible & look alike of the floor pattern. Get its cleaning done at regular intervals during holidays/non working hours
- It generally happens in big commercial towers/buildings. We need to design our duct in such a way that it does not have any interface with the sewerage line & do not hang the AC duct on shaft wall as it might have interaction through screws hole. Ensure the shaft does not have any window opening inside the false ceiling as it might attract the return air. Design the office Layout having storage near the shaft without AC or lastly engage a consultant at the designing stage.
- Circulate a “Clean desk policy” for all staff discouraging to eat at their workstations & throw waste food particles in the dustbin as the AC air sucks the waste food smell through return air cycle.
- Daily clearance of dustbins by your housekeeping agency. Dustbins should have garbage bags. Circulate regular Advisories to staff for its strict adherence
- Needless to say a preventive electrical health check up to be done of the entire electrical set up through a certified engineer/agency. AMC to be awarded to best players in the market & do a close monitoring of the service schedule. Immediate act upon the recommendations provided by the engineer/agency. Strictly follow the Lifecycle replacement policy of the electrical equipments.
- Use plastic/stainless steel storage containers & put up a regular cleaning schedule
Many organizations have faced attrition due to bad odour. Let your organization & staff do not suffer from these critical situations & ensure to provide a healthy & best place to work. We need to do “Facility management” instead of “Crisis management”
Thank you for reading……..!!
Team@S.K.I.P
