More than half of Brits worry about poor air quality in the workplace, study finds

Have you ever taken the time to consider if there are any deficiencies in the way your company approaches health and safety? Perhaps you’ve encountered an incident that didn’t prompt the response you expected?

We asked 2,000 adults about their workplace experiences, and some staggering revelations encouraged us to create our own quiz on the subject.

71 per cent of those polled said their desks are not configured properly, meaning they regularly suffer aches and pains.

More than half (55 per cent) openly complain about poor air quality, with many believing they often forgo breathing in fresh air for the entire day.

The survey has been commissioned by Andrews Air Quality, with one of our experts explaining: “There’s no doubt that health and safety protocol – and its implementation – varies from workplace to workplace.”

“And while there are lots of really obvious dangers that can befall you at work, like being in a busy warehouse environment, many risks are a lot more low-key.

“Things like not sitting at a properly-configured desk day in and day out, for example, can play havoc with your back.

“And air quality is also tremendously important, especially now we are in a world where Covid exists and fresh air is absolutely vital.”

The main cause of injury risk was deemed to be mental – overworked employees at risk of burnout (27 per cent).

Another 23 per cent regularly work around cables they believe could be a tripping hazard, while 19 per cent say they don’t get any natural light.

A further one in five have worked in places where spillages have not been cleaned up, and 15 per cent have seen plug sockets overloaded with electrical items.

One in four respondents confess to not knowing their company’s fire policy – and the same amount have reported a health hazard, only to see it ignored.

As many as three in 10 have actually quit a job because they felt it was too dangerous, according to the OnePoll.com data.

More than a tenth (13 per cent) of office workers report their office windows don’t open, depriving them of a fresh breeze.

And yet, 34 per cent believe the only ‘really dangerous’ workplaces are those in which manual labour or physical activity is undertaken as part of the job – not offices!

More than two thirds say offices are simply not dangerous workplaces at all.

A member of Andrews Air Quality’s technical team added: “The research shows there’s definitely some more education to be done in terms of dangers at work.

“Just because you’re not at risk of being run over by a forklift, doesn’t mean you can’t be at risk in other ways.

“All workplace managers should – especially as offices start to re-open – be working hard to ensure everyone’s safety.”

 

 

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1. Have you ever been injured (this constitutes any injury, from a scratch to a broken bone) at your workplace?
	%	n
Yes – more than once	26%	519
Yes – once	25%	505
No – none	48%	956
Prefer not to say	1%	20
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
2.  To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “It’s only a matter of time until I get injured in my workplace.”?
	%	n
Strongly agree	2%	15
Somewhat agree	8%	81
Neither agree nor disagree	22%	211
Somewhat disagree	27%	257
Strongly disagree	41%	393
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 957; total n = 2000; 1043 missing
3. Which of the following health and safety breaches, if any, have you ever seen in your workplace? [Please select all that apply]
	%	n
Overworked employees who may succumb to stress and burnout	27%	541
Cables that could trip someone over	23%	450
No natural light	19%	382
Spillages that nobody is clearing up	19%	373
Bad ventilation	19%	371
Wet floors without a ‘wet floor’ sign	17%	343
Loose flooring	17%	342
Overloaded plug sockets	15%	307
Blocked fire escapes	15%	302
People not wearing the proper safety equipment	15%	291
Exposed wires	12%	233
No fire training	11%	225
Windows that don’t have safety catches	11%	217
People operating heavy machinery without proper licensing/training	9%	189
Electric equipment next to water sources	9%	177
No emergency lighting	8%	169
A fire extinguisher that you know doesn’t work	8%	151
Mislabeled chemicals	7%	145
Fire alarms that don’t work	6%	127
Broken air purifier	6%	124
None of the above	27%	547
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
4. Do you know your company’s fire escape policy?
	%	n
Yes	75%	1494
No	25%	506
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
5. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “My workplace is an accident waiting to happen.”?
	%	n
Strongly agree	9%	176
Somewhat agree	21%	428
Neither agree nor disagree	20%	400
Somewhat disagree	21%	417
Strongly disagree	29%	579
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
6. How many days in a working week, if any, do you encounter something you consider hazardous in your workplace? [Please select best match, where 0 means this does not happen every working week].
	%	n
0	26%	520
1	15%	298
2	13%	263
3	10%	194
4	7%	138
5	5%	93
6	1%	26
7	1%	20
N/A – I never encounter something I consider hazardous in my workplace	22%	448
Average	1.8
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
7. Have you ever reported a hazard to health and safety at your workplace?
	%	n
Yes – and it was sorted out	31%	488
Yes – but it was ignored	24%	378
No – I have not done this	38%	595
I can’t remember	6%	91
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 1552; total n = 2000; 448 missing
8. Do you think your employers/management should be doing any more than they already are to keep staff safe?
	%	n
Yes – a lot more	17%	335
Yes – a bit more	32%	631
No – they are doing enough	43%	857
I don’t know	9%	177
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
9. If you use a desk at work, has it been properly configured for you in terms of the screen height, chair height, etc.?
	%	n
Yes – it has been properly configured	31%	620
Yes – but it is still not completely right	24%	486
No – this has not happened to me	30%	590
N/A – I don’t use a desk	15%	304
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
10. If you use a desk at work that has NOT been properly configured for you, do you ever feel aches and strains in your back, wrists or shoulders?
	%	n
Yes – often	17%	178
Yes – sometimes	54%	583
No – never	23%	244
Not sure / can’t recall	7%	72
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 1077; total n = 2000; 923 missing
11. How would you describe the air quality in your place of work (e.g. have you ever walked into a room and felt the air was stuffy or unhealthy)? [Please select best match]
	%	n
Very good	14%	279
Good	33%	656
Average	37%	730
Not very good	10%	194
Not good at all	3%	67
N/A – not sure / my work is fully outdoors	4%	74
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
12. Do you ever go full days at work without breathing any fresh air?
	%	n
Yes – often	17%	336
Yes – sometimes	38%	765
No – never	41%	827
N/A – not sure / my work is fully outdoors	4%	72
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
13. Have you ever left a job because you felt the environment (e.g. the nature of the work, the air quality, etc.) was too dangerous?
	%	n
Yes – more than once	11%	211
Yes – once	19%	385
No – never	68%	1362
Prefer not to say	2%	42
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
14. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “The only really dangerous workplaces are physical ones, like building sites or warehouses – not offices.”?
	%	n
Strongly agree	9%	176
Somewhat agree	25%	490
Neither agree nor disagree	24%	479
Somewhat disagree	27%	543
Strongly disagree	16%	312
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
15. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “Offices are not dangerous workplaces at all.”?
	%	n
Strongly agree	20%	135
Somewhat agree	48%	317
Neither agree nor disagree	20%	135
Somewhat disagree	10%	67
Strongly disagree	2%	12
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 666; total n = 2000; 1334 missing
16. If you work in an office, do the windows open?
	%	n
Yes – all of them	17%	335
Yes – most of them	23%	460
Yes – some of them	27%	543
No – none of them	13%	260
I don’t know	2%	48
N/A – I don’t work in an office	18%	354
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
17. Does your workplace have any health and safety rules or laws that you think are overly cautious?
	%	n
Yes – many	13%	254
Yes – one or two	31%	621
No – none	45%	897
N/A – I am unaware of health and safety rules or laws at my workplace	11%	228
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000
18. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “I think the health and safety laws in my workplace are too strict.”?
	%	n
Strongly agree	10%	176
Somewhat agree	22%	390
Neither agree nor disagree	24%	432
Somewhat disagree	26%	455
Strongly disagree	18%	319
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 1772; total n = 2000; 228 missing
19. Have health and safety regulations got stricter or less strict at your workplace in the last five years?
	%	n
Much more strict	11%	189
Somewhat more strict	34%	595
Neither more nor less strict	43%	770
Somewhat less strict	4%	70
Much less strict	1%	10
N/A – I was not at my current workplace 5 years ago	8%	138
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 1772; total n = 2000; 228 missing
20. Have you ever used the phrase “It’s health and safety gone mad” at your workplace?
	%	n
Yes – many times	13%	267
Yes – once or twice	34%	677
No – never	45%	906
I can’t remember	8%	150
(c)OnePoll 2022; Total sample; Unweighted; base n = 2000

 

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