Are problems temporally related to time spent in a particular building or part of a building? • Do symptoms resolve when the individual is not in the building? • Do symptoms recur seasonally (heating, cooling)? • Have co-workers, peers noted similar complaints?
Remedial Action Appropriate persons — employer, building owner or manager, building investigation specialist, if necessary state and local government agency medical epidemiologists and other public health officials — should undertake investigation and analysis of the implicated building, particularly the design and operation of HVAC systems, and correct contributing conditions. Persistence on the part of individual(s) and health care consultant(s) may be required to diagnose and remediate the building problems. Comment The term “sick building syndrome” (SBS), first employed in the 1970s, describes a situation in which reported symptoms among a population of building occupants can be temporally associated with their presence in that building. Typically, though not always, the structure is an office building. Generally, a spectrum of specific and nonspecific complaints are involved.
Related Questions
- Are problems temporally related to time spent in a particular building or part of a building? • Do symptoms resolve when the individual is not in the building? • Do symptoms recur seasonally (heating, cooling)? • Have co-workers, peers noted similar complaints?
- If a faculty member or P&A employee has scheduled surgery at a particular time, can the individual contact The Standard to certify the leave in advance of the scheduled date?
- What are some of the symptoms of indoor air quality problems such as Sick Building Syndrome?
