In our decades of experience in health and safety consulting, many of the complaints we receive are employers voicing concerns over their indoor air quality. In most cases however, it’s rarely indoor air quality that is the problem. More times than not, it’s the indoor environment and the population reacting to seasonal symptoms.
Does It Warrant Testing?
A frequent call we receive is from prospective clients telling us that we need to go into their office and test for mold. Before we rush in there and conduct any testing, we always ask why they assume it’s mold. The typical response is that their employees are complaining about it to which we counter and inquire as to if there is any visible mold growing in the office: nine times out of ten, there isn’t. It’s because of this statistic that we recommend starting with other indoor air quality assessments before testing for mold.
Tis’ The Season
Naturally occurring, mold is everywhere. Like a flower mold grows, blooms and produces spores which get released in time under the right conditions. Especially prevalent in the spring when trees are beginning to bloom and many people begin mowing their lawns and turning gardens over, it’s nearly impossible to avoid mold which is the common culprit behind employee complaints relating to air quality. The hope is that when you move inside, the concentration of mold spores is significantly lower than what it is outside, and that types spores found inside are identical to those of the latter.
Time to Act
If you start to find mold spores indoors that are different from the ones found outside, it may be indicative of some contamination in the building that is likely a result of a water event or residual mold growth from the past. It is at this point that we would conduct proper mold testing and remediation to ensure a safe and comfortable work environment for you and your employees.
About The Lawson Group
Since 1978, The Lawson Group has been in the “White Horse” business. That is to say, we help companies do things that are ultimately beneficial for them that they are sometimes unaware of. Our first endeavor was worker health and safety, mostly related to OSHA compliance issues, focusing on the industrial hygiene side of that equation regarding chemicals and noise, indoor air quality, and lead and asbestos in the workplace. Since becoming a third-party administrator in 1994, we now manage the workers’ comp programs for over 300 New Hampshire employers. In 2000, we entered the employee wellness business. Our primary effort is to work with employers and their employees to make better use of their health insurance dollars by working to help them become healthier and better consumers of healthcare. We welcome your inquiries regarding our services. Contact us to learn more.
