Is Sick Building Syndrome Infecting Your Facility?

sick building syndromeAre your employees dropping like flies? Have sick calls increased dramatically? The cold season has come and gone, so what’s going on? One possible cause is sick building syndrome that’s affecting your indoor facility.

What Is Sick Building Syndrome?

Sick building syndrome occures when people within a building, or part of a building, fall ill in large groups. Occupants may experience common symptoms associated with the common cold or flu, such as:

  • Headaches
  • Nasal congestion or runny nose
  • Itchy eyes
  • Itchy and reddish skin
  • Sore throat
  • Chest tightness

The Cause

Why is the building making everyone sick? This could be due to a number of indoor environmental conditions. Even if the facility appears well kempt, it’s often what you don’t see that hurts you. Unseen factors include:

  • High indoor humidity.
  • Abnormally high temperatures and stuffiness.
  • Poor indoor air quality due to insufficient ventilation or improperly maintained HVAC. The higher the building occupancy the more the need for adequate ventilation.
  • Chemical residue. Seemingly harmless items, such as paint, glue, ink, and cleaning liquids, can all emit fumes that affect the air.
  • Outdoor chemicals. Fumes from outside can make their way in. This includes emissions from passing vehicles, cigarette smoke, and vapors from e-cigs.
  • Standing water. You may not notice visible pools of water. However, water may still be stagnating in one place or another. This may include, for example, dripping water from a refrigeration unit or weeks-old water from a humidifier’s drain pan.

We Improve Facility Air Quality

A sick staff leads to lost productivity and downtime. Call All Points Heating for a checkup on the HVAC system because this may be the culprit. Our store development places heavy emphasis on a strong HVAC and ventilation system. Sick building syndrome is often a sign these components are  not well maintained.

Facility HVAC and Ventilation Maintenance in Mukilteo

Serving customers from Arlington to Renton and Bellevue. Furthermore, we service the areas of Seattle, Redmond, Bothell, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville, Mill Creek, Woodinville, Kirkland, Mercer Island and the surrounding area.