Employer’s Responsibilities
Under federal law your employees are entitled to a safe workplace. Employers must provide a workplace free of known health and safety hazards. Workers are entitled to work on machines that are safe, be provided safety gear and be protected from toxic chemicals. They are also entitled to request copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace.
Work Related Health Complaints
Work-related health complaints from employees include a combination of symptoms that include fatigue, headache, dry, itchy skin, and irritation of mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, and throat.
What makes these symptoms “work related” is that the symptoms go away when an employee leaves the building in which they work.
The term for this is “sick building syndrome.” Literally, it means that the building in which one works is making them sick.
Workers suffering building-related illnesses cost business billions each year in lost productivity, sending many companies on a desperate search for answers.
Causes of Health Complaints in the Built Environment
There are many causes for health complaints from employees who work in buildings, manufacturing plants, hospitals and other built working environments.
Water intrusion from leaky pipes, flooding, standing water or any other water source can lead to mold growth. Over time, when inhaled regularly, mold can cause lung infections such as pneumonia and asthma.
Lead in building materials can also cause similar lung and respiratory illnesses.
Asbestos found in buildings is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States. If building materials are deteriorating, there is a strong chance that asbestos particles could be inhaled by your employees.
When chemicals are circulating in the air and being inhaled or ingested by your employees, sick building syndrome is likely to happen.
We are here to help you find answers to health complaints
G2 is here to partner with you in providing your employees a healthy working environment.
We look at all possible causes of valid health complaints.
- Tests are performed for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ).
- Samples of chemicals in the environment, mold, asbestos, lead and other possible contaminants are collected and tested.
- Once conclusive results have been reported, G2’s consultants work with you to remediate any environmental causes to health problems within your workplace.
Our environmental consulting services help you to pinpoint and rectify any work related health complaints so that you can focus on your business goals.