Business owners, do your staff members frequently complain of weariness, nausea, or headaches while working from the office? Building managers, do your residents contact you to request HVAC repairs even when nothing appears to be wrong? If so, Sick Building Syndrome may be plaguing your staff and tenants (SBS).
Sick Building Syndrome Synopsis
The phrase “Sick Building Syndrome” is occasionally misused; (often, it is confused with the subject of the next article, Building-Related Illness). For this essay, we will employ the official EPA definition: The phrase “sick building syndrome” (SBS) refers to circumstances where building occupants experience acute health and comfort consequences that seem to be related to time spent in a building, but no specific ailment or cause can be identified. People who experience Sick Building Syndrome typically feel better soon after leaving the building.
Sick Building Syndrome Symptoms
People in the building complaining of non-life-threatening symptoms such as “headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors” are the main indicator of Sick Building Syndrome, according to the EPA.
However, not every person in the facility needs to exhibit these signs for a problem to exist. Some people may be more susceptible than others or have pre-existing health concerns, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). Some individuals may be exposed to the building’s toxins to a greater extent than others, and as a result, they may develop symptoms early or with greater severity. For instance, a person with allergies is far more likely to develop symptoms if they are seated near to a moldy air conditioning vent than if they are seated across the room. The main idea is that, regardless of whether everyone is experiencing the same symptoms to the same degree, one must take employee and tenant reports of health consequences seriously.
Sick Building Syndrome: What Is Its Cause?
As a building manager, your first task is to identify the source of Sick Building Syndrome because, by definition, the causes are unknown. When you understand the root cause of Sick Building Syndrome, it ceases to be Sick Building Syndrome and becomes a specific, fixable issue. According to an NIOSH assessment of 203 indoor locations with SBS complaints, the following factors were most frequently to blame:
1) Low levels of several pollutants are the result of insufficient ventilation.
2) Contaminants within the building, such as pesticide or office machinery odors.
3) Impurities from the outside seeping in, such as car exhaust.
4) Unknown origins
5) Humidity: Rather than pollutants, many issues that are thought to be caused by poor office air quality are really caused by high or low humidity.
6) Materials for construction: Building materials have the potential to release volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde. Additionally, fiberglass may enter the atmosphere and cause irritation.
7) The American Lung Association defines hypersensitivity pneumonitis as an allergic reaction to organic material that results in lung inflammation.
8) Smoke from cigarettes: The study was carried out when smoking was more common in offices.
9) Noise or Illumination: Excessive noise or poor lighting can result in a variety of symptoms, including tension, headaches, eye fatigue, and difficulties concentrating.
10) Scabies: Thankfully, these arachnids that burrow into the skin were only discovered in one place of employment.
SBS can also be brought on by other reasons, which can range in complexity from an HVAC temperature imbalance to something as basic as an ergonomically unsound desk chair. As you can see, there are many other potential causes of SBS, and not every case is related to air quality.
Building Managers’ Options For Addressing SBS
1) Consult the building’s residents to learn more about their symptoms and the areas of the building where they are being felt. This can offer you a hint as to whether the issue is building-wide or specific to one area.
2) To check for any evident air quality issues, such as a blocked vent, visible mold, or incorrectly stored volatile items, conduct a walkthrough of the affected area.
3) Identify a potential reason based on the available evidence.
4) Find the cause and see if that helps the symptoms. (You might need to test more than one theory before you get the answer.)
We also advise testing the air quality in your office if your initial efforts to fix the issue are unsuccessful. For further details on how to examine the air quality in your office CONTACT US. A professional test may reveal additional contaminants that necessitate specialized mitigation measures.
Sick Building Syndrome: Does It Really Exist?
The EPA, the CCOHS, and other credible organizations recognize Sick Building Syndrome. It’s crucial to understand that SBS refers to the subjective experiences of building inhabitants rather than a particular illness. This means that when there is no clear evidence of a problem with the air quality, the employee’s experience of SBS may be more mental than physical. According to a UK study, factors related to the psychosocial work environment are more significant in explaining variations in symptom prevalence than the physical environment of office buildings.
Note that this is not the same as asserting that Sick Building Syndrome is not a real condition. The distinction between psychological and physical issues is incorrect, according to a journalist who looked into the frequency of SBS instances in Finland. Employee morale and business culture may require attention if, despite your best efforts, SBS symptoms are still being experienced by your staff.
And one of the finest things you can do to boost employee morale is to show that you care about their health by enhancing the air quality in the office.
Regardless of the SBS symptoms experienced by an employee or tenant, the objective is to identify the root cause and then take steps to address it, both for the benefit of the affected individual and your business’s bottom line.
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