How Employers and Commercial Landlords Can Maintain a Mold-Safe Workplace
Exposure to workplace mold infestation can cause serious health problems for employees, customers, and visitors, according to DangerBusters, a worldwide environmental inspection, testing, remediation, and training firm. Employers, commercial landlords, and employees in Canada, the USA, and worldwide should suspect a mold health threat if any of three mold warnings occur in the workplace.
Vancouver, CA (PRWEB) February 7, 2005 -- Exposure to workplace mold
infestation can cause serious health problems for employees, customers, and
visitors, according to DangerBusters, a worldwide environmental inspection,
testing, remediation, and training firm.
Employers, commercial landlords,
and employees in Canada, the USA, and worldwide should suspect a mold health
threat if any of these three mold warnings occur in the workplace
(1)
Visible mold growth appears on or in ceilings, walls, floors, heating/cooling
ducts and registers, attic, basement/crawl space, and/or on furniture,
equipment, and inventory of raw materials or finished products.
(2)
Workers or customers report experiencing any of the most common, possible mold
health symptoms: allergies, asthma, bleeding lungs, breathing difficulties,
central nervous system problems, recurring colds, coughing (chronic), coughing
up blood, dandruff problems (chronic) that don't go away despite use of
anti-dandruff shampoos, dermatitis, skin rashes, diarrhea, and/or
Eye
and vision problems, fatigue (chronic, excessive, or continued) and/or general
malaise, flu symptoms (chronic), sudden hair loss, headaches, hemorrhagic
pneumonitis, hives, irritability, itching (of the nose, mouth, eyes, throat,
skin, or any other area), kidney failure, learning difficulties or mental
functioning problems or personality changes, memory loss or memory difficulties,
and/or
Open skin sores and lacerations, peripheral nervous system
effects, redness of the sclera (white of your eyes), runny nose (rhinitis) or
thick, green slime coming out of nose (from sinus cavities), seizures, sinus
congestion, sinus problems, and chronic sinusitis, skin redness, sleep
disorders, sneezing fits, sore throat, tremors (shaking), verbal dysfunction
(trouble in speaking), vertigo (feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness,
faintness, and unsteadiness), and vomiting.
People differ significantly
in their sensitivity and reaction to mold exposure. Consequently, there are no
federal standards or recommendations, (e.g., OSHA, NIOSH, and EPA) for airborne
concentrations of mold or mold spores in the workplace. Even the smell of mold
can make some workers sick.
Thus, if only one or a few workers or
customers experience one or more possible mold health symptoms, the employer or
landlord should still inspect and mold test the work premises for the health
protection of both the mold-sensitive employees and others who may ultimately be
harmed from time-cumulative mold exposure.
(3) Workplace mold inspection
and testing discover elevated levels of indoor mold in the air, on visible
surfaces, or hidden inside walls, ceilings, floors, the heating/cooling
equipment and ducts, the attic, or the basement/crawl space.
"All molds
have the potential to cause health effects. Molds can produce allergens that can
trigger allergic reactions or even asthma attacks in people allergic to mold.
Others are known to produce potent toxins and/or irritants,” according to the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.).
As to asthma, a health
study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health links adult-onset asthma
to workplace mold exposure. “The present (health study) results provide new
evidence of the relation between workplace exposure to indoor molds and
development of asthma in adulthood. Our findings suggest that indoor mold
problems constitute an important occupational health hazard.”
The Finnish
workplace mold study estimated that the percentage of adult-onset asthma
attributable to workplace mold exposure to be 35%. (Reported in Environmental
Health Perspectives, May, 2002)
Furthermore, a number of commonly found
indoor mold species are, in fact, toxic mold, a description applied to any mold
that produces mycotoxins in its spores. Stachybotrys ("black mold"),
Aspergillus, and Penicillium are three of the most dangerous indoor toxic molds.
Mycotoxins are cytoxic, meaning they have the capacity to pass through
the human cellular wall and disrupt certain cellular processes---potentially
causing serious health damage to workers and customers.
What should
employees do? ”If you see or smell mold, or if you or others are experiencing
mold-related symptoms, report it so the problem can be investigated. You may
need to tell your employer, supervisor, health and safety officer, union
representative, or school board. Find out whether co-workers are experiencing
any [mold-related symptoms,” recommends the California Department of Health
Services.
What should companies and property managers do for mold
prevention, maintenance, and remediation? Step 1 is to conduct periodic and
thorough physical inspections of the workplace for evidence of water and mold
problems---whether visible or hidden.
For effective mold inspection and
testing, the employer or property owner should hire a certified mold inspector,
environmental hygienist, or industrial hygienist. Alternatively and less
expensive, utilize mold test kits for all-around mold testing.
The
inspector or hygienist will collect samples of all visible mold growths, mold
test the air of each room and area of the employer’s facility, and obtain mold
laboratory analysis and mold species identification and quantification of the
collected mold and air samples.
The most common mold-causing water
problems are roof leaks, siding leaks, plumbing line leaks, sewer line breaks, a
wet crawl space or basement, flooding, and high humidity. Finding and fixing the
underlying water problem are always required for successful mold remediation.
For step 2, follow the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) recommendation that the employer and the building owner
should notify workers in the affected area(s) of the presence of mold in their
workplace.
Notification should include a description of the proposed
remedial measures and a timetable for completion. Group meetings held before and
after remediation with full disclosure of plans and results can be an effective
communication mechanism.
Individuals with persistent health problems
that might be related to mold exposure should be encouraged to visit their
physicians for a referral to practitioners who are trained in
occupational/environmental medicine or related specialties and are knowledgeable
about medical mold diagnostic and treatment procedures.
Step 3 is for
the employer or landlord to do safe and effective mold killing, mold removal,
and mold remediation of all mold growths and of all airborne and
surface-deposited mold spores. After the completion of mold remediation, the
workplace needs to pass “clearance tests” to be safe for employees and
customers.
For more information about mold prevention, inspection,
testing, and remediation techniques, please visit:
http://www.moldinspector.com
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com
http://www.mold.ph
http://www.envirosurf.com
http://www.epa.gov
http://www.osha.gov
# #
#
Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb206047.htm