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On average, we spend over 90,000 hours of our lives at work. When we spend around 1/3rd of our able-bodied years at our workplaces, the environment can have a significant impact on our health.
One such thing that may affect our well-being is mold. Read on to find out the 5 consequences of mold in the workplace and how you can prevent them.
For those with allergies, they can be exacerbated; for those who don’t have allergies, they may develop them. Common symptoms include runny nose, red, itchy eyes, and irritation of the nose, mouth, and throat.
Over time, allergies can get so bad that you feel like you’re constantly ill. You may have fatigue, headaches, fever, and coughing.
Like with allergies, mold can worsen symptoms for people who suffer from asthma. These usually include wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing. Sufferers can usually keep symptoms under control with medications and inhalers, but if the mold problem is big enough, their symptoms may reappear.
Some people may develop hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP); this is rare, but can happen when you breathe in certain triggers, such as mold. At first glance, it may look like pneumonia, but HP isn’t responsive to antibiotics.
With HP, you risk permanent damage to your lungs if it’s left untreated, so it’s extremely important to get any water damage fixed and mold removed after disasters such as flooding.
While short-term effects of exposure to mold seem mild enough, they can lead to much more serious effects when you have long-term exposure. If you leave the mold in your workplace for long enough, you can have problems with concentration, confusion, insomnia, and memory loss.
With enough exposure, fungal infections may occur. It can affect almost any part of your body, from your sinuses, digestive tract, to your lungs and skin.
For employees who have compromised immune systems, these fungal infections can lead to more severe health issues, as their bodies may be too weak to fight off infections on their own. In the worst-case scenario, they can die from infections.
Here are a few things you can do at the workplace to fight off mold:
Mold in the workplace can have serious effects, so if you notice any signs of it, you need to take action straight away. If you’re still experiencing health problems or can’t get the growth under control, then you need professionals to step in. They can ensure that your property is properly restored so it’s not a hazardous workplace anymore.
If your place of business has recently been through a disaster, then get in touch with us now. We’ll act quickly to help you recover.
