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Ventilation and air quality in the workplace

Learn about ventilation and air quality at work, how they affect health and wellbeing and how to take positive action to improve your workplace.

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The benefits of good ventilation and air quality

Research shows that people spend around 90% of their time indoors, including at home, work and while travelling.

Indoor environments can contain a range of pollutants from sources such as:

  • Building materials
  • Cooking and heating
  • Cleaning and consumer products
  • Workplace activities
  • Damp and mould
  • The surrounding environment

Poor ventilation can allow these pollutants to build up, leading to poorer indoor air quality.

Read more in this indoor air quality research briefing report.

Under regulation 6 of the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations, employers must ‘ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air’.

Good ventilation and air quality can support:

  • Better physical health
  • Improved concentration and cognitive performance
  • Increased comfort and satisfaction at work
  • Reduced sickness absence
  • Improved sleep quality
  • Lower exposure to harmful pollutants

Find out more about health and safety in the workplace.

Page last reviewed: 18th June 2026