Especially for a small business that doesn’t have enough manpower to cover an absent employee’s workload, staff members calling in sick can be a disaster for any business. There are countless scenarios that lead to your employees getting ill, but your business establishment is one of the top sources. Lack of efficient cleaning can result in the spread of germs among other issues. Employees sharing identical symptoms such as itchy eyes, sinus infection, or headaches while they are working in the office, but once they leave for the day or weekend the symptoms clear up, the workplace could be what’s making them sick. Today, we at Baker Sandoval Cleaning would like to further elaborate on the sick building syndrome (SBS).
What is Sick Building Syndrome?
Sick building syndrome is a condition where symptoms of illness or feeling sick for no obvious reason are being experienced by occupants in the same building. Often linked to the time spent on the building, the symptoms can be more severe among the people that spend more time in the building, and then show improvement while they are away from it.
Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome
Sick building syndrome shouldn’t be confused with other building related illness. Building related illness describes patients experiencing allergic reactions and symptoms, while SBS is used as a general term when people are undergoing different symptoms.
– Stuffy nose
– Sore throat
– Sneezing
– Poor concentration/memory
– Muscle pain
– Headaches
– Fatigue
– Dry cough
– Common Symptoms Of SBS
Causes of Sick Building Syndrome
Inadequate Ventilation – Older buildings have poor air ventilation, typically. Carbon monoxide and other harmful elements such as styrene and benzene produce bacteria and dangerous microorganisms to circulate indoors that then attacks the respiratory that manifests visible signs of ailment. The standard building ventilation was about 15 cubic feet per minute of outdoor air for every person in the building back in the early 1900s. This was implemented primarily to reduce and eliminate body odors. The standards changed, cutting it to 5 cfm of outside air per person in the 1973 with oil embargo. Deemed to be insufficient for the comfort and health of people, these minimized outdoor air ventilation rates. Inadequate ventilation can be the reason that cause SBS.
Chemical Contaminants from the Exterior: Should your intake vents are poorly situated, exterior pollutants, like exhaust and plumbing vapors, can still enter the office. Windows and other openings can let these pollutants in as well. Additionally, combustion items can get inside a building from nearby garages.
Chemical Contaminants from Interiors: From cleaning agents and carpeting, the volatile organic compounds can circulate inside and affect the health of your office workers. Causing acute health problems and even cancer, environmental cigarette smoke emits high levels of volatile organic compounds.
Biological Contaminants: In stagnant water that has been collected in drain pans, humidifiers, or any place where water has accumulated, germs, mildews, molds, and other viruses may grow. Tightening of the chest, fever, and muscle pains are a few symptoms linked to biological contamination.
Janitorial Commercial Cleaning & More in Longmont, Brighton, Dacono, Erie, Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Eldorado Springs, Fort Lupton, Hygiene & Boulder Colorado
With the help of Baker Sandoval Cleaning, we can clean and remove a lot of the dust that contributes to sick building syndrome, call us today to schedule your commercial building cleaning services.
