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Indoor Air Quality Consultancy
People spend the majority of their working day indoors, and the quality of the air they breathe has a direct and measurable impact on their health, comfort and productivity. Poor indoor air quality is linked to a range of health effects, from short-term symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and eye irritation through to serious long-term conditions including respiratory disease and cancer. As an employer or duty holder, you have a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment, and that obligation extends to the air quality within your premises. ISHEM provides fully independent indoor air quality consultancy across the UK, carried out by qualified occupational hygienists and supported by accredited laboratory analysis.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
Indoor air quality problems are often invisible and frequently underdiagnosed. Occupants may attribute symptoms such as persistent headaches, fatigue, dry eyes or respiratory irritation to other causes, not realising that their working environment is the source. In some cases, problems only become apparent when multiple occupants report similar symptoms, triggering a formal investigation.
The sources of poor indoor air quality in workplace settings are wide-ranging. They include inadequate ventilation, microbial contamination in air handling units and ductwork, off-gassing from building materials and furnishings, chemical agents from workplace processes, elevated carbon dioxide from overcrowded or poorly ventilated spaces, and naturally occurring hazards such as radon.
Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, employers are required to ensure that enclosed workplaces are ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) impose additional obligations where workers may be exposed to airborne chemical or biological agents. For buildings with mechanical ventilation systems, regular inspection and maintenance is required under the Approved Code of Practice to the Workplace Regulations. Failure to manage indoor air quality adequately can result in enforcement action, civil liability and, in serious cases, significant harm to occupant health.
Our Indoor Air Quality Services
ISHEM provides a comprehensive range of indoor air quality consultancy services, delivered by qualified occupational hygienists with specialist expertise in chemical, biological and physical air quality hazards. All testing is carried out using calibrated equipment and supported by laboratories independently accredited to ISO/IEC 17025.
Indoor Air Quality Compliance Monitoring
Systematic monitoring of indoor air quality parameters against applicable standards and workplace exposure limits. Covers physical parameters including temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as well as chemical and biological contaminants relevant to your premises and activities.
IAQ Sample Strategy, Plans and Laboratory Analysis
Design of site-specific air quality sampling programmes, selection of appropriate sampling methods and analytical techniques, and interpretation of laboratory results against regulatory benchmarks and recognised guidance values. Provides the documented evidence base organisations need to demonstrate compliance and support ongoing monitoring.
Chemical and Biological Sampling and Analysis
Targeted sampling for specific chemical agents, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, biological contaminants including mould spores and bacteria, and other airborne hazards relevant to your workplace. Assessed against Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) under COSHH and other applicable standards.
Air Handling Unit Inspection
Physical inspection of air handling units to assess cleanliness, integrity and performance. Identifies microbial contamination, blockages, damaged components and maintenance deficiencies that may be compromising the quality of air being supplied to occupied spaces.
Ductwork Swabbing
Microbiological swabbing of ventilation ductwork to identify microbial contamination that may be circulating through the building's air supply. Particularly relevant following occupant health complaints, where visible contamination is suspected, or as part of a routine hygiene assurance programme.
Dust Deposit Thickness Testing
Assessment of dust accumulation within ventilation ductwork in line with the TR19 guidance standard. Determines whether ductwork cleaning is required and provides a baseline for ongoing maintenance planning. Relevant to fire safety as well as air quality, as excessive dust accumulation in ductwork is a recognised fire risk.
Radon Monitoring
Measurement of radon gas concentrations in workplaces, particularly in areas with elevated geological radon potential. Assessed against the Public Health England action level of 300 Bq/m³ for workplaces under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017. ISHEM can advise on remedial measures where monitoring identifies levels that require action.
Indoor Air Quality Complaint Investigations
Structured investigations into occupant health complaints or concerns that may be attributable to indoor air quality. Combines occupant symptom data with environmental monitoring and building system inspection to identify the likely source and recommend appropriate corrective action.
Independent Occupational Hygienist Consultancy
Expert independent advice on workplace air quality matters, COSHH compliance, exposure assessment and the design of control strategies. Available as standalone consultancy or as part of a broader health and safety management programme.
Who We Work With
ISHEM provides indoor air quality consultancy to organisations across a wide range of sectors where air quality management is a legal obligation or operational priority:
Commercial Property and Offices
Building owners, managing agents and occupying employers responsible for the air quality in offices, meeting rooms and common areas. Particularly relevant for buildings with older or poorly maintained mechanical ventilation systems.
Industrial and Manufacturing
Production environments where workplace processes generate airborne chemical agents, dusts or biological hazards that require regular exposure monitoring and LEV management under COSHH.
Healthcare
Hospitals, clinical facilities and care homes where infection control, ventilation performance and air quality standards are subject to sector-specific requirements alongside COSHH and the Workplace Regulations.
Education
Schools, colleges and universities where high occupancy densities, older building stock and variable ventilation provision create specific indoor air quality challenges, particularly in relation to carbon dioxide and biological contamination.
Leisure and Hospitality
Hotels, gyms, spas and leisure facilities where ventilation performance, humidity control and microbial contamination in air handling systems require ongoing management and periodic independent assessment.
Why Independent IAQ Consultancy?
Indoor air quality investigations require objectivity above all else. Where a ventilation maintenance contractor or equipment supplier carries out an assessment, there is an inherent risk that findings are shaped by commercial considerations. ISHEM has no financial interest in any remediation works, equipment supply or maintenance contracts. Our assessments reflect what is genuinely present, and our recommendations are based solely on what the monitoring data and the applicable standards require.
Our occupational hygienists are members of the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). We are ISO 9001:2015 certified, Safecontractor approved and JOSCAR registered.