As someone with bad allergies or asthma, you must exercise caution with the environments you expose yourself to. Could your work office’s poor air quality become a hazard?
Eastern Kentucky University explores the dangers of inferior air circulation in the workplace. Learn whether you could have an employment law case on your hands.
Causes of poor air circulation
Do any of these apply to your workplace? Poor temperature control, poor flow of fresh air, unbalanced humidity levels and ongoing renovation projects. If so, such factors may contribute to unhealthy air quality that could irritate your respiratory system. You may also notice you have trouble breathing in the presence of paint fumes, dust, pesticides and fumes from cleaning chemicals. Besides irritating your respiratory system, substandard air quality may cause poor focus, headaches and skin and eye irritation.
Sources of disease transmission and unsafe substances
Even if you did not have asthma or allergies, you should still ensure your employer focuses on healthy air circulation. Proper ventilation helps slow the spread of diseases that linger in the air, such as viruses and bacteria.
Depending on your job role, your work may expose you to biological hazards such as nail technician chemicals, fumes and dust from construction sites and biological hazards in health care settings. Employees in these lines of work who do not operate in spaces with healthy airflow may experience asthma, bronchitis, damaged reproductive or nervous systems or lung cancer.
Your employer owes you and your coworkers an obligation to ventilate the building in which you work properly. Explore your options for legal recourse if you suspect that low-quality air in the workplace caused you harm.