What is Sick Building Syndrome & How to Prevent it?
We all spend a significant portion of out time indoors, either at home or in the workplace. One of the health issues that might happen when we’re indoors is the Sick Building Syndrome. Whether due to the hygiene and cleaning standards of the building or personal health issues, it is a common situation that everyone who works in large offices or spends most of their time indoors experiences.
In this article, we will explore sick building syndrome and ways to prevent it at home or office.
What is Sick Building Syndrome?
Sick Building Syndrom or SBS is a phenomenon where the occupants of a building experience certain health issues when they are at home or office for a long time. It might be the result of staying in a specific building or whenever you are indoors. The term sick building syndrome comes from the fact that staying in the building makes you sick.
What Causes Sick Building Syndrome
It is difficult to pinpoint a specific cause for sick building syndrome or a specific health issue for the person experiencing it. Several causes can be identified for SBS. However, some of the reasons that may affect someone’s conform when spending time indoors are:
- Poor air quality or inadequate ventilation in the building.
- The presence of dust, smoke or other particles in the environment.
- Bright or flickering lights.
- Poor cleaning and disinfection quality.
- The presence of too much clutter on work desks.
- The frustration of working in loud and disorganised workspaces.
- Work-related stress and anxiety
According to The NHS Website, sick building syndrome is more prominent in open-plan offices.
Symptoms
Several symptoms are linked to sick building syndrome. Among them, the following are the most common symptoms a person experiences when spending a long time indoors:
- Headaches
- Dizziness & nausea
- Frequent coughing & sore throat
- Muscle aches
- Itchy skin, skin rashes or eye irritation
- Fever
- Runny nose, congestion or other symptoms of hay fever
- Difficulty concentrating
- Tiredness
- Sensitivity to odours
However, these symptoms are common among other health issues. If you have any or multiple of them all the time, it is highly unlikely they are linked to the sick building syndrome.
Read More: How to Get Rid of Bad Odour From The Office?
Quick Symptoms Relief
If you are experiencing sick building syndrome, NHS experts suggest the following ways to alleviate the symptoms quickly:
- If you can, open the windows to improve the air circulation and ventilation.
- Try to reduce stress and anxiety related to work and workload.
- Set the office or home temperature to 19C and avoid changing it more than a few times throughout the day.
- Take regular short breaks from screens and computers.
- Go outside and take some fresh air, either during lunchtime or break time.
Experiencing Sick Building Syndrome in The Office?
if you believe sick building syndrome is the reason for your symptoms, you can ask your manager or Health & Safety officer in the workplace to investigate it.
If you have the symptoms at home, you can ask the building manager or the landlord. Also, you can consult local environmental health services or local Health & Safety Executive offices for advice.
How to Prevent Sick Building Syndrome?
Most of the symptoms of the sick building syndrome can be improved by implementing better cleaning and hygiene standards. To prevent SBS or eliminate it from the office or other indoor areas, you can consider the following options:
- Hire regular office cleaning services.
- Clean HVAC air ducts and registers.
- Use air purifiers and change air filters frequently to improve air quality.
- Reduce dust in the office space.
- Eliminate the source of unpleasant smell and use air fresheners.
- Prevent black mould.
- Use green cleaning products.
Conclusion
Sick Building Syndrome or SBS is a condition of health issues or discomfort when spending time indoors. SBS has several causes. In this article, we explored the most common causes of sick building syndrome as well as the common symptoms people experience when spending a long time indoors. Also, we explored the best ways to prevent sick-building syndrome at home or office.
The information provided by this article can help you identify whether the building where you live or work is the cause of your SBS symptoms. This article can also help you to choose the right action to prevent or alleviate SBS at home or workspace.
