Why Mold Removal Is So Important To Employee Productivity
As well as being unsightly, mold can have a big impact on your employee’s health and motivation. In this article, Jonathan Stevens looks at the dangers of mold in your workplace, what it means to employees and how you can improve the situation for your workers and your company.
When things like mold are given much thought, one thinks of simple stains that look odd and are at times a bit disgusting. Given proper cleaning, molds can be removed from anywhere, and that’s that, right? Turns out, there’s more to mold than meets the eye, and when left untreated, molds can have a detrimental effect not just to health, but to various other aspects of our lives. Despite the small appearance of molds, or their rather “harmless” look, they can actually pose serious threats to health and safety when left unmitigated. A mold removal service can do a great deal to make sure the harmful effects of molds aren’t experienced by your company, and most especially in a workplace.
According to the World Health Organization, employers are advised to make sure workplace health is a continued priority in the office in order to experience maximum benefits. Among those is allowing workers to be exposed in a healthy environment that allows them to perform at their fullest without the risk of diseases.
Here’s how molds and other hazards can drastically affect employee productivity:
- Safe workplaces contribute to a company’s sustainable development, which helps alleviate poverty conditions in the nearby area.
- Safe workplaces can guarantee that workers are protected, especially in commercial and industrial sectors where employees might be exposed to pollutants and environmental hazards.
In terms of office conditions, mold removal can seem to be an ordinary thing, but it has a lot of effects on employee productivity.
Significant Health Risks: Uncomfortable, Unhealthy, Unsafe
Mold can cause serious health risks to animals and most especially human beings. Certain kinds of mold can affect humans in drastic ways, and can even make them sick. As such, not having proper mold removal can cause employees to be sick when this can be avoided. If this happens, the productivity of the entire workplace can be affected.
- When it comes to health issues related to mold, these include asthma, allergic rhinitis, and infections. Sometimes, people can have an allergic reaction called extrinsic allergic alveolitis, or hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Symptoms of these conditions can include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, sinus congestion, eye irritation, and skin rashes.
- At its worst, mold can actually cause black mold poisoning. This can cause coughing, asthma, headaches, and even various allergic symptoms.
- People who have weakened immune system may also react to mold much differently than healthier ones, as allergies, hay fever, bronchitis, and asthma can be emphasized by mold.
- While these effects do seem like they are treatable, regular exposure to molds can cause employees to be regularly irritated and can take their focus off work. This can greatly reduce focus and productivity that can be redirected into something useful.
Structural Risks: Wrecking Your Workplace
Molds are fungi that take on the appearance of multicellular filaments. They can spread through the air in large quantities, which means they can be located in surprising areas. These include places such as load bearing beams and structural supports. As such, if mold gets in these areas through a penetrable opening, these can pose grave structural problems for your furniture and workplace. At its worst, workplace operations can stop due to malfunctioning appliances, wrecked furniture, or a workplace catastrophe.
This is especially the case in conditions where there is a lot of moisture in the air, as mold can appear in upholstered furniture, wood, and leather. Buildings are prone to mold growth when they have a history of poor indoor air quality, fire, and water leaks. In fact, the latter is a much more common source for mold growth, as mold thrive in dampness, high humidity, and water damage.
When this happens, mold appearances can cause devastating effects to your overall business architecture. When mold wrecks particular furniture or parts of your office, extensive repairs can cause days off without work that could make or break your earnings.
Good Safety Habits Include Mitigating Risk
When it comes to things like molds, the above information may have given you a brief background on just what to expect when molds affect your health and your activity in your workplace. Employee productivity is affected by the health risks of mold exposure and the entire workplace itself is at risk when molds are left unmitigated.
Remember, understanding the risks above and how best you can mitigate them can save you a great deal of hassle when dealing with this issue in the long run. Practicing good safety habits, even when it comes to removing molds, can save you a deal of time, money, and resources in ensuring your workplace’s productivity. If you’re in need of mold removal services in your workplace facility, there are companies like Precision Mold Removal that can handle any mold related issues efficiently.