MetaHealing - When Working Makes You Ill

Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms

When Working Makes You Ill
by Susan Eskdale

I'm allergic to work or working makes me sick are both common jokes around the office, but is there more to it?

A group of coworkers are standing around a water cooler catching up on the latest news. George says to Norm “what’s up with you today?” and Norm responds, “I think this place makes me sick”. Resounding laughter fills the coffee room, but is it really a joke?

If you feel that you are suffering from some strange disorder that only occurs at work, chances are it is not a matter of your imagination. There are many things that can make a work environment unhealthy.

1. Poor Ventilation: In older office buildings, particularly high rise structures; the air exchange rates are set too low. This is a problem because “dead” air continues to circulate, which also means that germs are continually redistributed to the population of the floor.

2. Cleaning supplies used in to “sanitize” the workplace, especially the bathroom or the coffee room, may be the cause of chemical sensitivity reactions. These reactions include headaches, sore throats, difficulty breathing, painful sinuses and even sneezing and runny noses.

3. Smoke: Yes, some workplaces still advocate a smoking room that is not set away from occupied areas. What are the dangers? There are a great many to consider. First, individuals with sensitivity to smoke may experience chronic difficulty breathing, sore throats, feelings of nausea and headaches. Secondly, it has been researched in depth and second hand smoke is dangerous to the health of non-smokers.

4. Sound Pollution: Noise, one of the worst offenders and the least likely to be suspected of causing illness. Individuals that are immersed in a very loud and busy environment may find themselves suffering earaches, headaches and even voice disturbances.

5. Lighting: We all love those fluorescent lights because they really liven up the office, but are these lights causing issues? The answer is yes. Optically, these lights are very difficult to adjust to. The glare that comes from fixtures using fluorescent bulbs can cause visual disturbances and headaches.

6. Negativity: Negativity often comes in the form of office politics, can be the cause of illness in the office. Physical symptoms can manifest including: headaches, vision disturbances, nausea, earaches, and even vocal difficulties. The old hear no evil, see no evil and think no evil actually becomes a physical illness.

Disclaimer: Any information provided on treatment options is for your evaluation only and should be discussed with your physician. Information within articles are provided strictly for educational and research purposes and do not necessarily reflect the personal beliefs of the editor of MetaHealing.

Now that you know illness may result from work environments, it may be easier to find a way to cure your ailments. The first step is examining your symptoms, if the symptoms disappear when you leave work then you need to check the 6 causes of illness, listed above, and determine which of these issues are present in your environment.

The next step is determining if there is something that you can do to fix the environment that you are working in. For example, if you are overly sensitive to smoke and you are located on the only smoking floor see if it is possible to relocate you to another floor. You could also ask to make sure the ventilation system is working to remove the smoke from the air, however this would be more costly than allowing you to move to a new floor.

Research what you need to know before you approach management to tell them that your environment is making you sick. Have facts and resources for them to look at so that they can be on the same page as you.

Finally, don’t joke about work making you ill, chances are it really is making you ill or will make you ill in the future because you planted the concept in your mind.