SBS is a range of symptoms that occur after spending time in a particular building, normally an office building or space.



Symptoms normally disappear or are reduced after leaving the building even if just for your lunch break.

First I will go over the symptoms and then we will move to how to help eliminate the issues.

Symptoms

• Headaches and dizziness
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath/chest tightness
• Poor concentration
• Blocked or runny nose
• Eye & throat irritation
• Skin irritation
• Aches & Pains

Now you may wonder what is causing SBS?

• VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) – i.e. Carpets, Cleaning Products, Adhesives, Printers and Copiers, Air Fresheners, New Furniture, Cigarette Smoke, and Paint. VOCs are a family of chemicals that contaminate indoor air.
• Biological Contaminates – Mold, Viruses and Pollen. Usually these are airborne contaminates.
• Poor Ventilation – Sometimes a room can because stuffy and all of that air is just lingering being breathed in by multiple people.
• Staring at screens – Computer screens give off blue light which can lead poor sleep habits. Also looking at the tiny pixels all day can cause eye strain, blurred vision and headaches.
• Bad Lighting – Having lights too bright or too dim cause eye problems as well as headaches.
• High Temperature – Your office can be a battlefield over temperature, some people get cold easily. But having the temperature between 69.8 and 71.6 shows that it has the highest productivity. Study Link  https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/toohottoocold.aspx
• Stress – There is not much you can do about stress in the workplace, but trying to keep stress down helps with an employee’s mental and physical wellbeing. Stress can cause headaches, body aches, and nausea.
• Unclean Office – An office covered in dust, trash and sticky debris can cause all types of harm to your employees.
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SBS can not only harm your employees but it can harm your bottom line as well.

Studies show poor environmental conditions reduce an employee’s productivity, efficiency and happiness at their job and increases the number of sick days taken.

Every year, poor indoor air costs employers up to $15 billion in worker productivity and sick leave.

Employees of open offices were found to have 62% more sick days than those in a cellular layout.

Now how can you help eliminate SBS in your office?

• Keep temperature at 69.8 to 71.6 degrees.
• Increase ventilation to reduce indoor C02 levels to outdoor levels, doing this can decrease symptoms of SBS by 85%.
• Add dehumidifiers to your office. Not only does this help keep employees heat down it also help with anyone who has breathing problem and help keep any mold growth at bay.
• If you have windows that open when it cooler such as morning and evening, opening can help improve ventilation.
• Keep up your office’s cleaning routine. Having your cleaners ensure that vacuums are emptied and working properly.
• If you are receiving complaints about SBS, consider having your air tested for VOCs and other contaminates.
• Check that heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are working properly. Minimum fresh air flow should be 8/L per second per person.
• Encourage employees to take hourly screen breaks of 5 – 10 minutes.
• Ensure there is good level of lighting, there should be to no glare and plenty of natural light.
• Organize and Prioritize workloads to decrease stress.

Enviro USA is here to help you with your Sick Building Syndrome. We are a total building maintenance company. Our technicians can handle your HVAC, Electrical and Janitorial services to help eliminate your Sick building Syndrome issues.

Call 866-564-1414 or visit www.envirousa.com to schedule a meeting with one of our team today!

“Building Care Made Easy!!!”