ABSTRACT
Health is a critical factor for the generation of value by workers. Companies bear substantial costs associated with absenteeism and presenteeism among their employees. This study investigates the impact of the environmental conditions in the workplace on the health and job satisfaction of employees, as core factors of productivity. We provide evidence based on a natural experiment, in which 70% of the workforce of a municipality in the Netherlands was relocated to a building with a design focused on sustainability and health and well-being. We construct a longitudinal dataset based on individual surveys of the entire municipality workforce and include measures before and after the move. The estimation results show a significant improvement in the perceived environmental conditions, as well as in the health and well-being of the relocated workers, measured by the drop in incidence of sick building syndrome symptoms. Results are heterogeneous based on age: older groups of employees enjoy larger health impacts. The relocation effects remain persistent in the medium term (two years after the moving date). Importantly, a mediation analysis suggests that the achieved improvements in health and well-being lead to significantly enhanced job satisfaction and a 2% reduction in the prevalence of sick leave.
Subject(s)
Facility Design and Construction , Job Satisfaction , Occupational Health/economics , Sick Building Syndrome/epidemiology , Workplace , Absenteeism , Adult , Female , Health Status , Humans , Incidence , Male , Middle Aged , Netherlands/epidemiology , Presenteeism/economics , Presenteeism/statistics & numerical data , Sick Building Syndrome/economics , Sick Leave/economics , Sick Leave/statistics & numerical data , Sustainable DevelopmentABSTRACT
managing director of Mycologia & Mould Worx, MSc, B.(Env. Sci.), TAE40110, examines the topic of mould exposure in healthcare facilities, and the associated duty of care for hospital facility managers and engineers. The article, published here in slightly adapted form, also focuses on the need for additional training of key personnel on the risks associated with exposure to environmental microbial contamination.
Subject(s)
Environmental Exposure/prevention & control , Fungi/pathogenicity , Health Facility Environment/standards , Infection Control/standards , Sick Building Syndrome/prevention & control , Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects , Air Pollution, Indoor/economics , Air Pollution, Indoor/prevention & control , Australia , Environmental Exposure/adverse effects , Environmental Exposure/economics , Health Facility Environment/economics , Housekeeping, Hospital/methods , Housekeeping, Hospital/standards , Humans , Infection Control/economics , Infection Control/methods , Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital/economics , Maintenance and Engineering, Hospital/methods , Occupational Diseases/economics , Occupational Diseases/etiology , Occupational Diseases/prevention & control , Patient Safety/economics , Patient Safety/standards , Personnel, Hospital/education , Sick Building Syndrome/complications , Sick Building Syndrome/economics , WorkforceABSTRACT
Indoor air quality has deteriorated so much since the 1970s oil shortage and subsequent energy-efficient construction of buildings that people are becoming seriously ill by just breathing the indoor air. This is a problem with all industrial buildings and hospital staff are at particular risk. There are various things that hospital managers from different departments can do to make the air safe for staff and patients to breathe.
Subject(s)
Air Pollution, Indoor/adverse effects , Hospitals, Private , Hospitals, Public , Sick Building Syndrome/physiopathology , Humans , Sick Building Syndrome/economics , United StatesABSTRACT
Indoor air quality has deteriorated so much since the 1970s oil shortage and subsequent energy-efficient construction of buildings that people are becoming seriously ill by just breathing the indoor air. This is a problem with all industrial buildings and hospital staff are at particular risk. There are various things that hospital managers from different departments can do to make the air safe for staff and patients to breathe.
