|
To Read Occupational Health &
Safety Administration Workplace mould Guidelines, visit:
OHSA Workplace Mould
To read news articles on workplace
mould problems, visit: Mould-At-Work.
Employer & Workplace Mould Problems
[Aug. 23, 2003]
Q. I work in
a basement... part of it has carpet that over the last couple of years not
only has been wet several times and allowed to just "dry out", sewage has
overflowed on the carpet about 6 months ago and nothing was done about that
either. I stay sick with sinus and throat infections that's gotten worse
over the last few months, I keep asking my employer to get the carpet out,
but they haven't done anything yet,,,,,, How dangerous, health wise is this
for me? Can other problems arise besides the infections? If I hand over
"proof" to my employers maybe they'll do something??! Please Help
A.
Your first step should be to
use our do it yourself mould test kits with our expert mould
laboratory mould analysis to mould test the air in your
office, plus the airflow out of your office's
heating/cooling duct registers. What you are testing for is
the possible elevated level of airborne mould spores,
especially in comparison to an outdoor control test, which
if present, would indicate a likely serious mould
infestation problem. Visit:
Mould Mart. The existence of carpet that was left wet more than 24
hours and sewage spills guarantees that you are living in
mould filth, very much to the detriment of your health. You
should learn more about mould health problems by visiting
the mould health sections of
Mould Types
and
Mould
Inspector Website. Once you have back our mould
laboratory results, if those results document a mould
problem in your work place, you should send a certified
letter [with a copy of the mould lab results] to your
employer demanding to work elsewhere in a mould-safe work
environment until your work area has been professionally
mould inspected, tested, and remediated. To learn what is
required is effective mould removal, please visit:
Mould Removal If you have a mould problem that
your employer refuses to take care, please note that it is a
safety violation for the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health
Administration [OSHA] for an employer to have workers
working in a mould-contaminated work place.
[Aug. 20, 2003]
Q.
I have recently become aware of mould in a building in which I work. The
type of building I work in is a double wide. The mould was found on the
right side of the building, I work in the left. It has been near the vents
and has just started growing on the tables in one of the rooms. We share the
same air conditioning vent throughout the entire building. Some days, it is
very humid in my building. Is this dangerous to all employees of the
building? Also, I am 25 weeks pregnant. Can the mould in the other side of
the building harm me or my unborn child?
A. Living or working in a
mould contaminated area can cause birth defects and miscarriages. In view of
the serious mould problem in your work place, you ought to seriously
consider asking your employer to provide you with a mould-safe place to work
for the remainder of your pregnancy. Of course, your health and the health
of your associates is in jeopardy by working in a moldy building. You should
insist in writing by certified mail to your immediate supervisor that the
entire building and its heating/cooling equipment and ducts be inspected and
mould tested by a Certified Mould Inspector [Janitorial and
Sanitation]. If your employer is lax about complying, you can do your
own mould testing of the rooms' air and of the outward air flow from
heating/cooling ducts using our do it yourself mould test kits with mould
laboratory analysis [Mould Mart]. Requiring workers to work in a
mould-contaminated workplace is usually considered to be a violation of the
safety laws enforced by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety
Administration [OHSA]. If your employer takes no action for effective mould
inspection, testing, and remediation, with safe work place alternative for
you during mould remediation, consider filing a complaint with OSHA. You can
also hire an environmental attorney to pursue your legal rights against your
employer [Mould
Lawyer].
[July 29, 2003]
Q.
My mother works for a company and sometimes has to open up freight which
comes from other countries. Every time she opens these boxes she has
gotten sick. The first 2 times she was having trouble breathing,
tightness to the chest, etc. After she got sick the last time she didn't
open any more freight until last Tuesday. After she got home that day
from work she was talking on the phone to my sister and just all of a sudden
started coughing and spitting up large amounts of blood. Her room mate
took her to the emergency room and the doctors had no idea what was going
on. Her white blood cell count was very high. At one point they
put her in ICU so a nurse could watch her closely. They did a
brachialoscopy and found blood clots. My mother told them what she
suspected it was, but nobody seems to believe her. They went back in 2
days ago for another brachialscopy and flushed out her lungs. Is there
a chance that there is some kind of mould that is in the cardboard boxes
when being shipped to this company?
A.
It is very possible that mould
contamination can be present in either the merchandise or business inventory
or in the shipping containers in which the merchandise or inventory items
were shipped.. mould is a big world-wide problem. When containers are
shipped via ocean cargo ships, the contents are exposed to high humidity air
[from the ocean] which can encourage mould growth. Regardless of the causes
of the mould problems, it would be wise for your mother's company to pay for
environmental, microbiological, and mould testing of any merchandise or
shipping containers that cause health problems for your mother to help
identify the causes of your mother's medical problems, whether those causes
are mould spores, bacteria, or viruses. For do it yourself mould test kits
to test merchandise and containers, visit:
Mould Mart. Even
more basic, is there a safer place for your mother to work, either at her
current work place, or by getting another job [easier said than done in
today's tough job market]?
|
