For employers, sick building symptoms are work-related illnesses that decrease productivity, increase employee turnover and have a very negative effect on company morale and job satisfaction. Also known as “building-related illness,” the sick building syndrome refers to an array of physical symptoms believed to originate from exposure to the environment of a specific building. In most cases, sick building symptoms seem to be related to indoor air quality and may affect a newly constructed facility or an existing building. The World Heath Organization estimates that one-third of buildings have some measurable indoor air quality issues that could trigger the following symptoms in susceptible individuals:
- Headache
- Respiratory reactions such as coughing
- Eye irritation
- Dizziness and nausea
- Unexplained fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
Sick building symptoms vary among employees inside a building, and it is rare that every individual experiences problems. Typical suspected triggers include mold contamination inside the building, chemical gasses such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by building materials, vehicle exhaust fumes infiltrating the HVAC system, high levels of dust in the air and indoor humidity issues. Physical symptoms caused by the sick building syndrome tend to fall into certain predictable patterns:
- Symptoms are not isolated to one or very few individuals and vary according to individual sensitivity.
- Strong correlation between time spent inside the building and the onset and severity of symptoms.
- Illnesses typically disappear entirely when the worker is not inside the building for some time period such as weekends or vacation.
- Symptoms may vary with the changing seasons, possibly indicating some relationship to contamination in the air conditioning or heating system.
A successful strategy to eliminate or greatly reduce sick building symptoms includes utilizing professional mold remediation services to locate and neutralize toxic mold contamination inside the structure, air quality sampling for the presence of chemical pollutants like VOCs, utilizing high-quality HEPA filters to reduce airborne particulates, and making sure HVAC air intakes are not circulating outdoor fumes such as vehicle exhaust into the building.
Ask the professionals at Rytech, Inc. about ways to identify and eliminate sick building symptoms among your workforce.
