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Air quality in offices

Air in offices may be contaminated by several different sources, including

odours and micro-biological and chemical contaminants. In an office environment,

the quality of the air is often controlled through an air conditioning system.

A building’s air conditioning system can be considered its lungs. The function

of such a system is to draw in outside air, filter, heat, cool or humidify it and

circulate it around the building. The system expels a portion of the air to the

outside environment and replaces this expelled portion with fresh or outside air.

Guidelines on appropriate air quality standards for the office environment are

contained in the relevant Australian Standards, particularly AS 1668.2: The Use of

Ventilation and Air Conditioning in Buildings: Ventilation Design (2002). There are

several air contaminants which can lead to health problems for workers in offices.

Legionnaire’s disease

Legionnaire’s disease is an infection caused by exposure to legionella bacteria.

Infection can often be traced to exposure to mists of airborne droplets carrying

the bacteria. These may be related to contaminated air conditioning cooling towers

and warm water systems. Other sources may include aerosols from spa baths or

potting mix.

Effective prevention of exposure to legionella is achieved through appropriate

design and maintenance of air conditioning systems. In Victoria the law requires:

• cooling towers to be registered;

• a risk management plan to be in place; and

• regular testing and maintenance of systems.

Legislation includes the Building (Legionella) Act 2000 and the Health (Legionella)

Regulations 2001, which are administered by the Department of Human Services.

Comcare’s Approved Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality (2002) contains

guidance on prevention of legionnaires’ disease.

Sick Building Syndrome

Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) refers to a situation where a proportion of people

complain of symptoms of discomfort such as a headache, eye, nose or throat

irritation, fatigue, dizziness or nausea while inside a building and the symptoms

go away upon leaving the building. Instances of SBS are rare and may be related

to psychosocial factors in the workplace as well as poor air quality. Where air

quality problems exist or SBS is thought to be a problem, specialist advice should

be sought.