Advice for Sick Building Syndrome

The recent story about an office building in Brisbane being blamed for an outbreak of cancer related illnesses made us think about something called the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).

According to our research SBS is quite real but the reported symptoms suffered by workers are a lot less serious than those in the Brisbane story. In fact it is important to separate those health problems associated with SBS from building related diseases like Legionnaires’ disease.

SBS refers to situations where workers in a building suffer higher than average episodes of skin or eye irritations, lethargy and tiredness, headache or dry throat. These symptoms are usually temporary and disappear an hour or so after the worker leaves the building.

Air conditioned buildings generally have a higher rate of symptoms than naturally ventilated buildings.

Studies have shown an increased prevelance of SBS in buildings with office dust, paper dust, higher than average indoor temperatures, low volumes of fresh air entering the building, poor cleaning and maintenance. 

The good news is there are actually guidelines to follow for managers concerned they might have a case of SBS. These include having ventilation systems checked for biological contaminants, avoiding over crowded work areas, arranging regular inspections and checking fresh air flow rates. If you are concerned and want an expert to look over your workplace send us a request at sitecheck@safetyconcepts.com.au

That way you can breath easy!