Work Getting you sick

Factual Questions
1

Hello all - new here

I did a couple of searches and was really surprised not to find any support groups or even information for people that have problems with there work environment getting them sick

I did find a couple of post on this board and thought that I would start a thread and see what responses and experiences other people have had with this sort of issue

I am really interested in what others have to say about this

Ok with out going into to much detail because I need my job at this point

Been working with a company for over a year - OLD building - over 200 years old
Converted warehouse to part office building - still 4 out of the 5 floors are open warehouse
In the middle of a falling apart city

Horribly maintained - water leaks from every window, building in spring and summer always smells like mold/damp - when AC is on you can actually see partials coming out of the vents

Major Roach/bug problems - also bird and very real rodent issue

Its not uncommon to come in early and see roaches run when the lights come on - or rodent droppings on the carpets

So - been pretty healthy my hole life - some issues - smoke - not a lot - 1 pack a day - had Lyme

But since I came to this place - had pneumonia 3 times, 2 URI, 3 double ear infections/Otis

All since the weather started to thaw

WTF - even my doctor is starting to question what is going on

If I am home for a long weekend - or out sick for a few days - snap right back - feel good - go to work - 2 days later - sick again

love the people and the work - but is it possible the building is really hurting me this bad?

Or is it all in my head - its been a pretty bad allegory year so far

Thoughts?

2

What does your doctor say? You say that he’s questioning it, but doctors should be doing more than than asking questions - it’s their job to answer them. There are tests for all kinds of things. I’d start with seeing if you are allergic to mold, rodents, etc.

You may wish to contact OSHA and possibly state government agencies. (Here in WA it’d be our Dept of Labor & Industries, which handles worker’s comp and worker safety.)

If you do a search for sick building syndrome, you’ll certainly find lots of other examples where people claimed that their work environment caused their illnesses.

3

Thank you for your reply

I am very allergic to black mold, dust mites in rodent droppings, and tree pollen

but has never been an issue before

I really don’t want to rock the boat yet with an OSHA case - like I said I love working there

plus there has been 130 people laid off in the past 3 months because of the bad economy and I really need to work to support my family

just don’t know if the risks are worth the gain at this point

I HATE being sick - cant even play with the kids or get anything done

I have not heard any other people talking about being sick all the time - so I am worried that its not sick building situation - just me

and I do not want to be a milker or perceived and a scammer to get any compensation

just trying to figure this out and see what my options are

4

Contacting OSHA to ask for resources or to gain information is not at all the same thing as actually opening a formal case. They deal with this kind of issue all the time - as dracoi pointed out, “Sick Building Syndrome” is a well-known phenomenon.

In your case, I’d venture to say it’s fairly obvious what the chief cause of your new health problems are: the building in which you spend most of your waking hours is poorly maintained and has visible, obvious HVAC problems plus multiple vermin infestations. So it’s not like anyone would have to do a big investigation; from your description anyone could walk into the building, look around for a moment and then say, “Yup. That’s pretty nasty alright.”

If you’re reluctant to talk to OSHA first, try your local health board (the ones who oversee restaurants etc.) to see what local regulations there might be that require certain pest control managements, for example.

Oh – and welcome to the message boards!