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Article:
The so-called Sick
Building Syndrome (SBS) has been shown to have risks
to health, mainly for people working in buildings.
Awareness
of SBS has been growing since the 1960s and
International status was accorded to SBS in 1982 when
the World Health Organisation formally recognised the
condition.
Symptoms include dry
and itchy skin, dry eyes/nose/throat, stuffy nose,
headaches and lethargy. The symptoms tend to worsen with
time spent in the building, and usually disappear when
the person is away from the building.
SBS
is a convenient term used to describe a range of common
symptoms, which for no obvious reason are associated
with some buildings.
SBS
is not as yet a recognised illness and cannot be
diagnosed precisely.
It
should not be confused with other building related
illness such as humidifier fever, legionnaire's disease,
and the effects of exposure to particular toxic
substances.
Employers have a
legal responsibility to prevent work-related accidents
and ill health - including SBS.
There are general
duties on all employers under the Health and Safety at
Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at
Work Regulations (S.I. No 1992 2051) to assess and
reduce risks and ensure (so far as is reasonably
practicable) the health and safety of employees, and
others who may be affected by work.
Other regulations
apply in specific situations. For example, The Workplace
(Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (S.I No
1992 3004) will apply to any specific problem relating
to inadequate ventilation, temperature control,
lighting, cleanliness etc. that can be associated with
SBS symptoms.
The
causes of SBS are unknown but a number of factors are
likely to be involved combining in different ways in
different situations. These include both physical,
environmental factors and job related factors.
Some
common factors associated with SBS include:
·
air-conditioned
offices with large open plan areas
·
low levels
of staff control over ventilation, heating and lighting
·
bad design
and maintenance of building services
·
poor
standards of general repair
·
poorly
organised office cleaning services.
Factors
causing SBS appear to include routine clerical work and
working with display screen equipment.
There
is as yet no reliable source of information about how
widespread the problem is or how much of a burden it is
for industry.
There
is no evidence as yet of any permanent health effect but
it seems almost any worker can be affected by SBS.
SBS
appears most commonly in those employed in large office
buildings and in particular those who have little
control over their work environment and are employed in
routine clerical work.
It
seems women are more at risk than men but this could
simply be due to the fact that more women are employed
in these types of work.
Preventing
SBS in buildings involves good building design, good
maintenance and good monitoring to ensure that the
building performs as intended.
Where
SBS is suspected, the problem should be investigated
promptly and a systemic approach taken to eliminate the
causes, starting with the most likely sources.
Source
- HSE Publications
Posted
- October 2003
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