P-284 Evaluation of AIr Quality in Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises in Belgium

Introduction With the impact of Covid-19, maintaining good air quality in workplaces has become essential for employee well-being. Occupational Health Services (OHS), including IDEWE, play a significant role in assessing implementation of prevention policies within companies. This study presents the results of air quality improvement measures in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Methods Between January 1, 2022 and April 1, 2023, IDEWE reference nurses or prevention advisors conducted 15,015 air quality assessments during company visits, assisting employers in implementing Well-being -at-Work recommendations. Results and discussion The findings indicate that 53% of SMEs regulated air quality through mechanical ventilation, with offices being the primary users (61.2%). SMEs made good use of natural ventilation and aeration, especially in nurseries (98.1%), industry (96.8%), and education (93.3%). 40.7% of SMEs use CO2 meters to measure, monitor, and adjust air quality. Education (79.7%), elderly care (65.9%), nurseries (66.7%), and hairdressing salons (66.2%) were the sectors with highest usage of CO2 meters. The use of air purifiers remained relatively low (11.4%), with hairdressers having the highest percentage of usage (22%). Encouragingly, 86.3% of employers took measures to educate their employees about the importance of ventilation, and all nurseries visited responded positively to this aspect. However, only 49.1% of SMEs demonstrated a comprehensive implementation plan incorporating all identified measures to ensure good air quality. Conclusion this study highlights the prevailing ventilation practices in Belgian SMEs and emphasizes their efforts to achieve good air quality. Nevertheless, further improvement is needed in the form of a comprehensive implementation plan.