There is a growing recognition amongst the construction industry for the need for more healthy buildings. With individuals spending significant periods of time indoors at work, buildings can have a profound impact on a person’s health. Following the outbreak of coronavirus, people are concerned now more than ever before about how buildings are impacting occupants' health.
Sick building syndrome (SBS) refers to feelings of discomfort and a variety of symptoms experienced from spending extended periods within a building. It is most prevalent in certain types of buildings, particularly offices and workspaces with poor ventilation.
The occurrence of SBS can have a significant impact on a business, with increased employee absenteeism levels and high turnover rates often developing as a result.
Is sick building syndrome affecting your business? Read our guide to find out more about the causes of this and the potential solutions available.
SBS refers to a building’s occupants experiencing acute health issues, linked to the time they spend in a building. Issues may be limited to a specific area or can be spread across the whole building.
Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) can have a profound impact on an individual’s productivity levels and overall wellbeing. While SBS most commonly occurs in large open plan offices, it can affect a wide range of buildings including schools and hospitals.
With SBS, no specific cause or illness can be identified. Symptoms vary from inexplicable fatigue, nausea, and headaches, to eye, nose and throat irritation, as well as respiratory issues. Symptoms can occur individually or collectively, and typically subside at the end of the day upon leaving a building. While the symptoms experienced may sound mild, the long-term effects of SBS can be severe.
SBS is a significant issue for both employers and commercial building owners, who have a legal requirement to ensure employees and building occupants are kept safe. Despite this, IEQ can often be overlooked as no root cause for SBS has been identified. Instead, it seems that a number of factors may attribute to its occurrence.
Potential contributory factors include:
Today, there is a growing demand for healthy green buildings. The benefits of this type of building are increasingly being recognised: minimise the spread of diseases including COVID-19 amongst occupants; employers reap the benefits of improved productivity rates and minimised employee absenteeism levels; and building owners can charge higher rent prices.
With so many factors potentially contributing to SBS, it can be difficult to pinpoint a specific issue that needs resolved. Potential solutions may include:
The HVAC systems in place must be designed to meet ventilation standards. Routine maintenance inspections of these systems should be conducted regularly to ensure ventilation levels remain sufficient.
Upgrading HVAC systems by installing measures such as air source heat pumps and mixed-mode ventilation systems ensures good indoor air quality (IAQ) through sufficient ventilation with filtration while offering thermal comfort.
Alongside a sufficient ventilation system, air cleaning can help to further improve IAQ. For areas with strong air pollutants, such as printing areas and bathrooms, it can be beneficial to remove these.
With a good ventilation system in place, air cleaning is often not required. However, for areas where pollutants accumulate and linger, this can be a worthwhile activity.
When designing your new build project or during a refurbishment, it is important that the design team avoid unhealthy materials that release chemical toxins during their lifecycle. If inhaled, these pollutants can cause symptoms such as headaches.
The TM65 methodology calculates the embodied carbon of building materials when no Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is available. This highlights the best MEP equipment to use, minimising any harmful effects of building materials on occupants.
With over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry, we are highly experienced in designing sustainable HVAC systems to prevent the occurrence of SBS within your building. For more information, contact a member of our team today.
DARe-me Consulting Engineers
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DARe-me Consulting Engineers Ltd
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