Office Humidity

[brd888]

Annoyed - I work in air-con office where the humidity is very low. I have read the humidity should be 40-70% for a comfortable environment.
After measuring the humidity at 33% I reported this to the company's facilities asking them to have a look at it. That was six weeks ago.

Today the humidity is down to 24% !! It is only myself who notices the problem so looks like they don't think they need to do anything about it.

Any suggestions? I can't rally my co-workers as apparently none of them have much problem with the dryness.

[cristinalatina]

Hi brd888. I am having the exact same problem at the office. My first measure was to bring to the office the extremely potent humidifier that I own (it's a Honeywell, and so strong that the lights at my house would flicker every time I turn on this baby.) i let 'em pay for making me suffer!

It is only myself who notices the problem so looks like they don't think they need to do anything about it.[/QUOTE]

I'm having the same trouble but I am considering writing a letter to persuade them to turn the A/C off in my office. I am planning to write that I have severe dry eye, a surgical procedure to correct it (plugs - they appear as such on the receipt that the doc gave me, and it sure sounds like a much more intrusive procedure than it really was ) and am on prescription medication for this.

Also I plan to mention that it interferes with my ability to work as efficiently. That will work like a charm.

Any suggestions? I can't rally my co-workers as apparently none of them have much problem with the dryness.[/QUOTE]

Then they won't notice the humidity increase as well. That's an argument you can use.

Good luck to you!

[Silverlady]

Letter might work

You might be able to get them to do something if you got your doctor to write a "Letter of Medical Necessity". It basically would state that due to a medical problem with your eyes, you require a more humid condition in the office. Ask them to provide a humidifier or add a humidifier to the airconditioning/heating system. At the very least, it seems like they should buy you a humidifier.

A better balance in the humidity may be difficult to get on some of the large systems. Everyone would need to evaluate their own situation.

Billye

[elaine]

humidity

I have been dealing with my office with the same issue. I work in the basement of a hospital. In the summer my office is damp and moldy. I had to get a doctors note and send emails to the occupational safety nurse, who then spoke to the biuldings supervisor. I have copied all my emails to the department head, who is sympathetic. I was given a dehumidifier for this problem. Now that it is Novemember, and the humidity level is about 20% in my office, I am working on getting a humidifier ordered. I needed another doctor's note, the request was eventually approved, and I am now waiting for the humidifier to arrive. I was not allowed to bring in my own, and my request for a space heater was turned down, because of a rule against electric heaters in or near patient spaces. Instead, I turn off the overhead blower blower when I come in to my office. It does get cold. Unfortunately, I spend as much time in other spaces, which I am not able to control. I have tried wearing a baseball hat to prevent direct hot air on my eyes, which has not helped, and to wear my Panoptx goggles more. These seem to help, but I do work with psychiatric patients, and the odd appearance has been difficult interpersonally. If I knew if my eyes were not going to get better, I would probably think about selling my house and buying one with forced hot water heat, or radiant floor heat, or installing a whole-house humidifier at the furnace, though I have not heard many
positive reviews from people who have had them.
Elaine

[neil0502]

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

1) I don't know a BUNCH about this; just a little
2) Everybody should make their own decision about whether or not invoking FEDERAL LAW is the BEST route for them ... with their employer
3) Not every employer is bound by the ADA anyway, nor is every potential modification going to be deemed "reasonable," BUT....

The Americans with Disabilities Act MAY be an option for companies that are bound by it and in cases where "just doing the right thing" for an employee doesn't seem to be adequate motivation.

A few links:

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/links/adalinks.htm

http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/fs-ada.html

Excerpt [emphasis added]

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which took effect July 26, 1992, prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. An individual with a disability is a person who:

Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
Has a record of such an impairment; or
Is regarded as having such an impairment.
A qualified employee or applicant with a disability is an individual who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the job in question. Reasonable accommodation may include, but is not limited to:

Making existing facilities used by employees readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities.
Job restructuring, modifying work schedules, reassignment to a vacant position;
Acquiring or modifying equipment or devices, adjusting modifying examinations, training materials, or policies, and providing qualified readers or interpreters.
An employer is required to make an accommodation to the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee if it would not impose an "undue hardship" on the operation of the employer's business. Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as an employer's size, financial resources and the nature and structure of its operation.
An employer is not required to lower quality or production standards to make an accommodation, nor is an employer obligated to provide personal use items such as glasses or hearing aids.

[Lucy]

Skipping through all this info, let me say that it is almost impossible for any large facility to control the atmosphere within any given area, on any given time. My last employer was huge, all on one floor and spread out over acres, with long narrow glass halls which if you walked the perimeter --was literally miles. I used to watch facility services try to keep up with all the daily needs and maintenance. A never-ending problem. I had to live (work) within that environment, too. All requests must be REASONABLE. It is reasonable to ask to have a humidifier, or if it's ok to bring your own. It is reasonable to ask to have vents turned off or re-directed away from your desk.

A facility cannot control humidity to suit everyone. Nor can they control heat and a/c to satisfy everyone. Sometimes, we were wearing sweaters and other times huffing and puffing in cool, cotton clothes. They tried, but it's impossible to deal with weather fluctuations and the cost of utilities to keep everyone happy.

Usually, things can be accomplished with a little negotiation. A doctor's slip usually works. An employee also has to face the music and realize that any employer can find reason to give you the slip, a pink one. You may think you have more power than you do. Suddenly, you may find that your performance evaluations begin to slip a little. Small things become big ones and you are called into the boss' office for a little reprimand.

Trying to throw some reality in here from one who has been there. In the end, the employer ALWAYS has the last word. They have the resources to kick you to the curb. So, if you need to make adjustments, do so within reason. They are not going to give in to unreasonable demands. Also, it's the employer who gets to say what is "reasonable."

[Lucy]

I'd also like to add that sometimes people's needs and requests can be a hazard. A lot of employees used to have small space heaters because it was freezing in their cubicle. I was always afraid to have one because I knew I'd likely catch everything on fire.

In the summer, sometimes people would have small fans on their desk or in the cubicle. In the past few years, with the energy "crisis" all personal appliances were banned because it was a draw on the electricity. The institution was keeping unnecessary lighting down to control costs. No more heaters, no more fans. A few people were able to get around this by buying a small battery operated fan and, therefore, were not using the electricity of their employer for personal use.

[neil0502]

Bear in mind that "reasonable accommodations" may not involve ANY changes to a building or facility's HVAC systems whatsoever. It MAY be something as simple as the company picking up the tab for a space humidifier. It MAY mean giving a cubicle-dweller a private office to allow for maintenance of certain humidity levels.....

You don't have to approach a company in a litigious, hostile manner to achieve your ends. In most ADA-covered companies, the HR department will quite likely understand that they're bound by this. In that case, asking in a reasonable, cooperative fashion may well yield good results.

[brd888]

more

Thanks for replies.
I've raised the issue (again) with our facilities. There is a rumour that they are fiddling with heating etc to reduce the electric bill. This means they may have turned off the humidifiers to save cash. Apparently modern air/con systems have humidifiers (my workplace is only 5 years) which are necessary as when the air is cooled the moisture condenses on the coolers.
Regards,
Bruce

[BWOTX]

Any new Updates?

I'm new to the DES diagnosis and am looking for ways to improve my work environment. I noticed these posts are several years old and wondered if there are any new ideas. Also, where can I locate a humidity monitor to test the air in my office?

[bassfan]

I'm new to the DES diagnosis and am looking for ways to improve my work environment. I noticed these posts are several years old and wondered if there are any new ideas. Also, where can I locate a humidity monitor to test the air in my office?

As far as new ideas go...I sure can't think of any. My office has been below 20% since the new year...not sure why.

If you look on amazon you will find many little devices that include a humidity meter. They are usually in combination with a clock, thermometer, maybe a wireless thermometer to put outside. They aren't really too expensive. Check out www.dealnews.com and see if you see any on there too, there was a couple a few weeks ago that were cheap.

Daren