What is sick building syndrome and how can you prevent it?

Poor indoor air quality can lead to a condition called Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). This is a pertinent issue for all enclosed workplaces but is an ever-present concern for manufacturing plants and factories. Preventing SBS is extremely important for the health, safety and productivity of your workforce.

Common symptoms of SBS are: throat irritation, breathing difficulties, tightness in the chest, runny nose, allergy-like symptoms such as sneezing, burning sensation in the nose, itchy skin rashes, headaches, nausea, body aches, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and fever. Suffering from these symptoms on a daily basis can lead to absenteeism and low productivity of employees.

South Africa reportedly loses approximately R19 144 billion due to absenteeism a year (Source: Human Capital Review). While, in a survey conducted by Aon, employee productivity was named as one of the major issues faced by several employers across Africa and the Middle East.

MONITORING AIR QUALITY

Monitoring devices able to detect high levels of carbon dioxide have been introduced to the South African market to help detect poor air quality that can lead to SBS.

Distributed and supported by local technology provider, Euca Technologies, on behalf of one of the world’s leading logging and monitoring systems specialist companies, Onset Computer Corporation, the handheld devices allow building operators to easily monitor CO² and other substances to ensure the health of occupants, especially in healthcare facilities, classrooms, offices, factories and places that are susceptible to the build-up of gases.

‘Increased CO² inside is a big deal; after all, we spend almost 90 percent of our lives indoors’

The carbon dioxide hazard scale

It may also be useful to monitor air quality of a building where occupants constantly suffer from ailments, are constantly tired or where lower-than-usual productivity is observed in the workplace.

‘We also find the problem is exasperated at times of the year when windows and doors are shut for comfort reasons, which may inadvertently also contribute to the sick building syndrome,’ says Ernest Campling, managing director of Euca Technologies, the agents for Onset monitoring devices in South Africa.

He explains that the monitoring devices are small, unobtrusive and highly accurate. They allow easy access to air quality information from a handheld device or laptop via plug-in or the cloud. It gives building owners and landlords insight to support better decisions regarding ventilation control and HVAC upgrades—projects that can lead to significant energy savings and improved overall indoor-air quality.

COST-EFFECTIVE MONITORING

‘Comprehensive, location-specific CO² data in building environments can also help to focus HVAC improvements on the most effective and cost-efficient solutions. Increased CO² inside is a big deal; after all, we spend almost 90 percent of our lives indoors. So, when it comes to monitoring indoor air quality (IAQ) for CO², data loggers can be a great safety measure. Fortunately, our battery-powered CO² data loggers easily measure indoor concentrations. These compact hand-held devices can be used anywhere throughout a building where data is needed. Measurements typically range from 0–5 000 ppm.

‘Our data loggers provide a cost-effective method to assess indoor air quality, helping to eliminate sick-building syndrome and harmful pollutants typical of tight and poorly ventilated structures and Euca Technologies provides a wide range of devices that can measure and monitor indoor air quality,’ concludes Campling.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO TO AVOID SBS?

• Ensure proper ventilation by making sure as many windows as possible are opened to allow potentially harmful gasses to vacate the premises and fresh air to come in.

• Provide a well ventilated break room, canteen or outdoor area for employees to eat lunch in.

• Ensure adequate lighting in the office or factory.

• Encourage healthy eating amongst employees as this will help to boost their immune systems.

• Review and maintain HVAC systems to ensure proper ventilation.

Sources: Healthline.com; IOL.co.za.’

Increased CO2 inside – what’s the harm?

• Tight-building standards increase the risk of sick-building syndrome and poor occupant health.

• Offices, factories, schools, healthcare facilities, gyms and homes frequently exceed healthy CO² levels.

• Buildings where metabolic rates are high such as gyms frequently exceed acceptable standards

• Indoor CO² concentrations over 1 000 ppm lead to cognitive impairment and dysfunction

• Global CO² exposure limits vary by country; some countries have much more stringent restrictions.