Work-related illness in offices: A proposed model of the “sick building syndrome”

Abstract

A nationwide survey of 4 373 office workers at 47 office sites was conducted to assess the prevalence of the sick building syndrome and to investigate associated factors. The office buildings sampled included those ventilated by either natural, mechanical, or forced air, or by air conditioning or some form of comfort cooling, including fan-coil, induction, and constant or variable air volume systems. Results showed a higher prevalence of reports of work-related symptoms of dry eyes, dry throut, stuffy/congested nose, itchy/watery eyes, runny nose, lethargy/tiredness, and headache in air conditioned buildings than in unconditioned buildings. Symptom prevalence was higher in buildings ventilated with water-based cooling systems, e.g., fan-coil or induction systems, than in buildings with all-air systems. A significant relationship was found between the type of humidification used in air-conditioned buildings (none, evaporative/spray, or steam) and the prevalence of itchy eyes, stuffy nose, lethargy, breathing difficulty, and chest tightness. Results also suggest that the “sick building syndrome” is associated with a variety of individual characteristics (sex, age), occupational factors (job type, length of video display unit use, occupancy duration in building, job stress), architectural features (type of office, type of building ventilation system), and psychological processes (perceived environmental control, perceived ambient conditions, perceived environmental satisfaction). A path analytic model is presented that suggests that psychological processes mediate the association between individual, occupational, and environmental characteristics and reports of the “sick building syndrome”.