I would ruffle some feathers, to find out if your building is "sick"!
A building I used to work at had a few employees who were afraid of this very thing, and asked management to have inspectors come out to check the building for mold (there was signs of water damage, so it made sense). The management agreed, and (luckily) no mold was found. The employees worked with management to determine other remedies.
You do have some options and a course of action, if you and other employees are truly concerned about the air quality at work.
Here is some information: "The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts investigations of possible health hazards in the workplace. These investigations, called Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs), are conducted under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the authority of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, following a written request from employees, authorized representative of employees, or employers, to determine whether any substance normally found in the place of employment has potentially toxic effects in such concentrations as used or found."
You may have a similar organization, written policy or team at your job whose primary responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of its employees and/or of the physical building. "Indoor Environmental Quality" is a real concern, and may/may not be something that is fixable (employees are subjected to not only infectious diseases, but also fumes/toxins from equipment, cleaning products, pollutants, dust, mold, etc).
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also a good resource. "Nearly every employee in the nation comes under OSHA's jurisdiction with some exceptions such as miners, some transportation workers, many public employees, and the self-employed. In addition to the requirements to comply with the regulations and safety and health standards contained in the OSH Act, employers subject to the Act have a general duty to provide work and a workplace free from recognized, serious hazards."
At the OSHA site, under the "subtopics", you will notice a policy called the "Whistleblower and Non-Retaliation Protection", which provides employees protection if they choose to contact OSHA (again, your own company probably has its own department that is required to comply with OSHA standards, so you can check with them first. It is in your employer's best interest to comply with standards and take employee's requests seriously. The employee is protected under this act).
Hope this information is helpful! Let us know what you decide to do, and what you find out about how your company is meeting OSHA regulations. (It may be in an annual report, or on a company intranet site). Good luck!
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I would ruffle some feathers, to find out if your building is "sick"!
A building I used to work at had a few employees who were afraid of this very thing, and asked management to have inspectors come out to check the building for mold (there was signs of water damage, so it made sense). The management agreed, and (luckily) no mold was found. The employees worked with management to determine other remedies.
You do have some options and a course of action, if you and other employees are truly concerned about the air quality at work.
Here is some information: "The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts investigations of possible health hazards in the workplace. These investigations, called Health Hazard Evaluations (HHEs), are conducted under the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the authority of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, which authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, following a written request from employees, authorized representative of employees, or employers, to determine whether any substance normally found in the place of employment has potentially toxic effects in such concentrations as used or found."
You may have a similar organization, written policy or team at your job whose primary responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of its employees and/or of the physical building. "Indoor Environmental Quality" is a real concern, and may/may not be something that is fixable (employees are subjected to not only infectious diseases, but also fumes/toxins from equipment, cleaning products, pollutants, dust, mold, etc).
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also a good resource. "Nearly every employee in the nation comes under OSHA's jurisdiction with some exceptions such as miners, some transportation workers, many public employees, and the self-employed. In addition to the requirements to comply with the regulations and safety and health standards contained in the OSH Act, employers subject to the Act have a general duty to provide work and a workplace free from recognized, serious hazards."
At the OSHA site, under the "subtopics", you will notice a policy called the "Whistleblower and Non-Retaliation Protection", which provides employees protection if they choose to contact OSHA (again, your own company probably has its own department that is required to comply with OSHA standards, so you can check with them first. It is in your employer's best interest to comply with standards and take employee's requests seriously. The employee is protected under this act).
Hope this information is helpful! Let us know what you decide to do, and what you find out about how your company is meeting OSHA regulations. (It may be in an annual report, or on a company intranet site). Good luck!
December 18, 2008 - 2:36pmThis Comment
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