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... does with the ministry in 1998 - 99. That number doubled to 52 in the following year and has risen to 106 in 2000 - 01. The number of work refusals has jumped from two in 1998 - 99 to 10 today. (Sahai, 2001) Sufferers exposed to mould have complained about physical symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating, sinus congestion, cough, sneezing, skin irritation, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and eye, nose, and throat irritation. These symptoms are intensified and more susceptible to individuals who have allergies, bronchitis, asthma, are young or elderly, and immuno comprised. Symptoms are caused by mycotoxins and spores, which the mould produces.
Mycotoxins are metabolites or by-products from moulds that have been identified as being toxic to humans. (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety - 2, 2001) Allergy sufferers will have the most severe reactions to spores. They have allergic reactions called hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Fortunately, once the exposure to any individual is halted the symptoms disappear. There are no chronic illnesses associated with mould but allergies towards mould may develop. Note that presence of mould does not always mean that health problems will occur. (Sahai, 2001) Some types of moulds are harmless. Whether you are at the office or construction site, there is the possibility of exposure to mould.
Where there is moisture, mould can survive and flourish. Buildings with moisture problems can expect the presence of mould. The microbe in spore form can easily travel via airborne route and infest moist areas. Buildings that have a history of flooding, water leaks, sealed in areas with excess moisture, poor humidity control, or fires (water used to extinguish) have the highest risk of encountering mould problems. Other areas of concern are kitchens, HVAC systems and bathing facilities. Mould can form colonies on many different types of materials including tiles, drywall, wood, drapery, carpet, upholstery, ceiling tiles, soil, fabric, wallpaper and cardboard.
A majority of building or worksite's contain most of these materials. There are two methods to make an educated guess on the presence of mould. Firstly, colonies of mould can be visually seen. When inspecting, look for dark patches in moist areas. When working as an inspector (either health or labour), they will search for this presence on inspections. Health inspectors will usually give a food premise a few days to clean these patches of mould colonies and then re-inspect to see if they have complied.
A fine will be submitted too the operator if they do not comply. A closure is unlikely unless the premised is severely infested. The other method of detecting mould is the smell. When there is considerable growth, the colony produces an odour. If mould has established itself and has caused a nuisance in the health of workers, it has to be controlled and eliminated. The first step to take would be to control the source of moisture.
For example, fix leaky pipes or roofs. If the humidity has contributed to a source of moisture, control the relative humidity so it does not exceed 50 %. Also have a good ventilation system in places where evaporated water is produced. After controlling the source of moisture concentrate on the materials where the colonies have formed. Some materials will have to be disposed because it does not lend itself to cleaning. Once drywall or ceiling tiles have been water logged and there is presence of mould, it will have to be removed.
Workers who are disposing of these materials shall wear personal protective equipment including body suits, eye goggles and a high-efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA) respirators. The concentration of airborne spores and mycotoxins will dramatically increase once the colonies have been disturbed putting the worker at a greater risk of exposure. A different approach can be taken for non-porous (smooth surfaces) materials that can be cleaned. Using a HEPA respirator, gloves and a sanitizing solution of one part bleach, 4 parts water and a small amount of non-ammonia based dishwashing detergent to cut surface dirt, simply clean the area with the solution. Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia! (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety - 2, 2001) Good ventilation when working with bleach is always a must. Both methods of removal should first initiate with spraying a mist of water over the infected areas to keep the aerosolized mould down.
Ascertain that sources of moisture are constantly in check; they can repopulate areas once there is water present. Mould spores can be present in the air for months even after the water source and colonies have been eliminated. There are legal requirements under the Health Protection & Promotion Act (HPPA) and the Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Act that requires employers and operators to keep their premises and workplaces free from microbes such as pathogenic bacteria and mould. These premises are a great concern for inspectors because of their size. As opposed to an isolated case in the home setting (not to down-size the situation), there are more individuals at risk.
Under the HPPA (a health inspectors jurisdiction), the maintenance of the building has been described. In section 11 (a) (i) & (ii), every food premise shall be operated and maintained such that, the premises are free from every condition that may be a health hazard or adversely affect the sanitary operation of the premise. During inspection, inspectors will look for mould patches according to this section of the act. The colonies can affect the workers and patrons of the establishment. They will order that they are cleaned up and sanitized. Advice will be given to the operators to further prevent the recontamination of mould.
Inspectors may also want to take a water sample from HVAC systems and hot water storage tanks to search for bacterium such as legionella to ensure that an out break does not occur. Operators will have to comply with the inspectors wishes of testing and inspecting. If food operators do have an outbreak of legionellosis or patrons have suffered from symptoms that relate to legionella and they have contacted a physician to receive treatment, the health unit is the first resource that should be contacted to deal with the situation and ensure that no one else contracts the disease. When there has been an outbreak of Legionnaires disease, a health inspector will initially shut down the establishment to protect a high-risk population. This is due to the legionella's history of fatal cases. The inspector will search for sources of air contamination since legionella has to be inhaled to cause disease.
Knowing if the employees and / or patrons have legionellosis will help in the investigation. I. e. A separate HVAC system may be utilized in a dining room and not the kitchen. Samples will be taken from aqueous sources and sent to the lab for immediate testing and processing. The samples will have to be properly labeled with the date, name, time and location of sample.
Be specific. Once the source has been detected, a clean up will be ordered and legal action or a fine might be placed on the operator. Only when the site of bacterial growth has been found and cleaned may the food premise be reopened. Inspections and reports of outbreaks and infestations in the labor jurisdiction are treated in a very similar fashion as public health. The difference is that the OHS Act covers the workers of a work place and not the public. Employers are required by section 25 (2) (h) of the OHS Act to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances for the protection of workers.
The Act also places a responsibility on constructors (section 23) and supervisors (section 25) to ensure health and safety of workers. This includes protection from mould and bacterial infections. (Ministry of Labour - 2, 2000) All situations shall be dealt with in a prompt manner. The longer a crisis is prolonged; more peoples health will be at risk and the employer, owner or operator can be held liable for not taking immediate action. Legal action can almost be guaranteed if there are irresponsible acts associated with the matter. Employers or operators should want to take the initiative to take control of these dilemmas. If the health or lives of his / her workers and / or patrons are at risk and action is not taken, there will be a negative image associated with them.
Employees will be lost; business lost, responsibility with death, trouble with legal matters. There are no positive associations with solving the problem later. Deal with the problem then and there. Before the problem ever exists, schedule regular maintenance and testing. The survival of human life is dependant on the air we breathe. People spend about 80 90 % of their time indoors. (City Green, 2001) The quality of air indoors is a great concern because of the time we spend inside.
Inspectors of miscellaneous jurisdictions should be aware of the consequences of poor air quality. Like G. I. Joe says, knowing is half the battle.
With a conscientious effort and responsible maintenance program, most past tragedies could have been prevented. The phrase, those that dont know history are doomed to repeat it applies only to the ignorant. With the educated and skilled workforce that Canada has, outbreaks such as Walkerton should never occur, as they are quite controllable. References Health Canada 1. (1995). Office air: a workers guide to air quality in offices, schools, and hospitals.
Canada. Minister of National Health and Welfare. Health Canada 2. (1995). Indoor air quality in office buildings: a technical guide. Canada. Minister of National Health and Welfare.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. (1998). Legionnaires disease. [On-line]. Available: web Ministry of Health. (1990). Health Protection and Promotion Act. Ontario, Canada. Queens Printers for Ontario.
HC Info. (2001). Recent outbreaks of Legionnaires disease. [On-line]. Available: web Medi Resource. (2000). Legionnaires disease. [On-line]. Available: web Air & Waste Management Association. (2001). Indoor air a fact sheet for homeowners. [On-line] Available: web Ministry of Labour 1. (2000).
Occupational Health and Safety Act. Toronto, Ontario. Queens Printers for Ontario. Sahai, D. (2001, March).
Mould = risk. Network News Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Vol. 6, Iss. 3. Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety - 2. (2001). Indoor air quality moulds and fungi. [On-line]. Available: web hazards / iaq mold.
html Ministry of Labour - 2. (2001). Alert mould in workplace buildings. [On-line]. Available: web City Green. (2001) Mould & indoor air quality. [On-line]. Available: web
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Research essay sample on Regulation And Importance Of Indoor Air Quality Control
