Are YOU working in a TOXIC OFFICE? A Re-Look into SICK BUILDING & OFFICE!

Are YOU working in a

TOXIC OFFICE?

A RE-LOOK AT SICK BUILDINGSYNDROME (SBS)!

Associate Professor Abdul Shukor bin Abdullah, (http://profshukor.blogspot.com), is a leading

researcher, trainer, consultant and speaker on occupational safety & health (OSH), workers’ ergonomics, ergonomics risk assessment

and workplace safetyin the country

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially recognised Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) as a health issue over 20 years ago. It’s a complex problem responsible for a variety of conditions from respiratory infection to fatigue, and is responsible for causing illness, absenteeism, staff turnover and low morale. It’s a hidden epidemic created by the buildings in which we live or work.

So significant is the problem of SBS that it’s estimated that, in some countries, up to 30 percent of all offices, hotels, institutions and industrial premises suffer from it – particularly those buildings that date back 30 years or more.

Two men treat leather in a factory in the Jajmau area of Kanpur. Image by Sean Gallagher. India, 2014.

Do you work in a SICK OFFICE?

These five children go to school during the day, but work at night and on weekends. Three are local children, and two are from Hunan and Guizhou. They get 0.30 yuan each for every 100 bra straps that they attach to a machine accessory, which will be used in the next step of the bra assembly process. In one day they can earn 20 to 30 yuan each. (Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/stories/toxics/2010/textile-pollution-xintang-gurao/)

A SICK Office?

There are of course many causes for SBS, from inadequate lighting to poor air conditioning and ventilation. However, one of the main causes of SBS is the quality of indoor air.

And even if your indoor air isn't polluted, you simply may not be getting enough fresh air. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers recommends that ventilation systems pump in 20 cubic feet of fresh air per minute for every person in office spaces. In many cases, however, building operators pump in only 5 cubic feet -- giving the building air the appeal of a long-distance plane flight.

“SICK BUILDNG SYNDROME (SBS) - a constellation of symptoms that usually includes fatigue, headache, dry, itchy skin, and irritation of mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, and throat. Unlike building-related diseases, these symptoms tend to disappear once people are OUT of the suspect building.

Causes of SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS)

Contributing factors can often relate to the design of the built environment and may include combinations of some or all of the following:

1. Indoor air pollution 2. Artificial fragrance 3. Poor or inappropriate lighting (including absence of or only limited access to natural sunlight) 4. Poor heating or ventilation system 5. Bad acoustics 6. Poorly designed furnishings, furniture and equipment (e.g. computer monitors photocopiers etc.) 7. Poor ergonomics 8. Chemical or biological contamination

To the owner or occupier of a 'sick building', the symptoms may include high levels of Employee Sickness and increased absenteeism, lower productivity, lower job satisfaction and higher levels of staff turnover.

Still other experts believe the epidemic of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) may be linked to easily fixed factors like poor lighting. John Rekus, a Baltimore-area safety consultant and contributing editor of Occupational Safety magazine, says many of the symptoms are really caused by simple problems with heat, humidity, and light. It's only natural to feel miserable when any of these environmental factors is out of whack, he says. As a case in point, Rekus mentions an office he once visited in which almost everyone had headaches --and where almost everyone blamed bad air. Noticing a striking glare on the computer screens, he turned off half of the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. Within days, the headaches disappeared.

Workers have fallen sick in buildings ranging from libraries and hospitals to offices, and some of them say poor indoor air is to blame. Complaints are especially common in newer, energy-efficient buildings where windows are sealed shut and fresh air is scarce. Workers suffering building-related illnesses cost business billions each year in lost productivity, sending many companies on a desperate search for answers.

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) has become more common than all building-related diseases combined, but so far, familiarity hasn't led to understanding. Nobody knows for sure why so many people are getting sick: Is it really the air, or is it something else?

Mark Cullen and Kathleen Kreiss, who discuss indoor air pollution in the textbook Occupational Health (Lippincott, 2000). They add that researchers should also look into specific toxins as possible causes - nausea and headaches suggest carbon monoxide may be sneaking into the building through the air-duct system. Mysterious itching may be caused by exposure to fibrous glass from an air-duct lining. And relentless coughing and throat irritation may be the end result of harsh or improperly used carpet cleaners.

Prevention & control starts with a workplace assessment to identify SOURCES of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), followed by a discussion between the employer, employees & workplace health and safety professionals on appropriate strategies to minimize or eliminate exposures; for example, installing a better ventilation system.

What are the counter measures to fight SICK BUILDING SYNDROME?Solutions to 'sick building syndrome' usually include a combination of the following measures:

1. Heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems should be kept clean and regularly maintained. They should also be replaced or modified if other environmental issues come into play. 2. Smoking should be banned or, at the very least, restricted to a place well away from those who do not wish to be affected by cigarette fumes. Where smoking indoors is permitted, extractors should be used to direct the smoke outside the building. 3.Try to ensure access to natural sunlight and opening windows for ventilation can also help giving the occupants a feeling of 'control' over their internal environment 4. Regular cleaning of soft furnishings to avoid the built up of dust and dust mites 5. Wherever possible sources of pollution should be eliminated or relocated to a place where there are fewer people. For example, the removal of gas heaters or photocopiers from crowded work areas 6. Canteens or kitchens should be kept clean with food and drink remains regularly disposed of.

Solutions to sick building syndrome usually include combinations of the following:

1) Pollutant source removal or modification is an effective approach to resolving an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) problem when sources are known and control is feasible. Examples include routine maintenance of HVAC systems, e.g., periodic cleaning or replacement of filters; replacement of water-stained ceiling tile and carpeting; institution of smoking restrictions; venting contaminant source emissions to the outdoors; storage and use of paints, adhesives, solvents, and pesticides in well ventilated areas, and use of these pollutant sources during periods of non-occupancy; and allowing time for building materials in new or remodeled areas to off-gas pollutants before occupancy.

SOLUTIONS TO COUNTER SICK BUILDING SYNDROME.

2) Increasing ventilation rates and air distribution often can be a cost effective means of reducing indoor pollutant levels. HVAC systems should be designed, at a minimum, to meet ventilation standards in local building codes; however, many systems are not operated or maintained to ensure that these design ventilation rates are provided. In many buildings, IAQ can be improved by operating the HVAC system to at least its design standard, and to ASHRAE Standard 62-1989 if possible. When there are strong pollutant sources, local exhaust ventilation may be appropriate to exhaust contaminated air directly from the building. Local exhaust ventilation is particularly recommended to remove pollutants that accumulate in specific areas such as rest rooms, copy rooms, and printing facilities.

SOLUTIONS TO COUNTER SICK BUILDING SYNDROME.

3) Air cleaning can be a useful adjunct to source control and ventilation but has certain limitations. Particle control devices such as the typical furnace filter are inexpensive but do not effectively capture small particles; high performance air filters capture the smaller, respirable particles but are relatively expensive to install and operate. Mechanical filters do not remove gaseous pollutants. Some specific gaseous pollutants may be removed by adsorbent beds, but these devices can be expensive and require frequent replacement of the adsorbent material. In sum, air cleaners can be useful, but have limited application.

SOLUTIONS TO COUNTER SICK BUILDING SYNDROME.

4) Education and communication are important elements in both remedial and preventive indoor air quality management programs. When building occupants, management, and maintenance personnel fully communicate and understand the causes and consequences of IAQ problems, they can work more effectively together to prevent problems from occurring, or to solve them if they do.

SOLUTIONS TO COUNTER SICK BUILDING SYNDROME.

Building investigation procedures – To start SBS Assessment At Workplace.

The goal of a building investigation is to identify and solve indoor air quality complaints in a way that prevents them from recurring and which avoids the creation of other problems. To achieve this goal, it is necessary for the investigator(s) to discover whether a complaint is actually related to indoor air quality, identify the cause of the complaint, and determine the most appropriate corrective actions.

An indoor air quality investigation procedure is best characterized as a cycle of information gathering, hypothesis formation, and hypothesis testing. It generally begins with a walkthrough inspection of the problem area to provide information about the FOUR basic factors that influence indoor air quality:

1. the occupants 2. the HVAC system 3. possible pollutant pathways 4. possible contaminant sources

Preparation for a walkthrough should include documenting information about the history of the building and of the complaints; identifying known HVAC zones and complaint areas; notifying occupants of the upcoming investigation; and identifying key individuals needed for information and access. The walkthrough itself entails visual inspection of critical building areas and consultation with occupants and staff.

The National Health Service web site describes SBS as "a poorly understood phenomenon" in which workers in a particular environment complain of symptoms ranging from headaches to fatigue and skin rashes and irritation.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/7569941/Japanese-scientists-find-cure-for-Sick-Building-Syndrome.html

Natural air cleaners.The ability of plants to improve indoor air quality was recognised in the 1980s, when NASA researched growing plants on space stations. Results indicated the surprising removal of previously high volatile organic compound concentrations in their model spacecraft. Then, around the year 2000, Australian researchers determined that virtually all of the volatile organic compound-removing ability of potted plants resided in the pot. It was the normal bacteria of the potting mix that took up the volatile organic compounds.

But the plants are not superfluous: experiments where the plants were removed leaving only the potting mix showed a gradual loss of performance over a few weeks. The plants supply the soil bacteria with key nutrients that sustain their viability and health.

More recent experimentation has monitored the background concentrations of volatile organic compounds in offices with and without plants over some weeks. These findings indicate that even three potted plants in an average-sized office will reduce airborne volatile organic compounds to an extremely low level.

Sick Building Syndrome: how indoor plants can help clear the air.

Source: http://www.uts.edu.au/about/faculty-science/environment/news/sick-building-syndrome-how-indoor-plants-can-help-clear-air

Life Plants to improve Office Surrounding.

It is our rights to cleaner air and healthy workplace…

What are we going to do about it?

Did you ever notice that funny smell that comes from the photocopier? That's ozone and the EPA warns that even inhaling small amounts can lead to "chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and throat irritation." Don't worry though, because the manufactures know this and your ancient photocopier was built with a filter to deal with the ozone it produces and... when was the last time someone changed that filter? Because they deteriorate over time and become useless. So all that deadly ozone is slowly filling up the copy room.

Source: http://www.cracked.com/article_18654_6-ways-your-office-literally-killing-you.html#ixzz36mO3fHvX

Acknowledgment (Thanks a lot!)

Sick Building Syndrome: Is Your Office Making You Sick?

By Chris Woolston at http://consumer.healthday.com/

The dirty secret behind jeans and bras by Greenpeace

At http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/stories/toxics/

Is Your Office Killing You?Sick buildings are seething with molds, monoxide--and worse At www.businessweek.com/2000/00_23/b3684001.htm