An outdoor workplace may sound odd – perhaps you imagine a landscaper, gardener or builder being people who have outdoor workplaces. But most of us can move our workplaces to the outdoors. It’s easier than you think, and well worth the benefits to health and wellbeing.
Here’s Why Outdoor Workplaces Are So Important
If you’re like a large population of Australians, you likely spend most of your day working in an indoor office setting. According to research from the Australian State of the Environment, the average Australian spends about 90% of their day indoors. For many, this often involves sitting at their desks and staring at computer screens for up to nine hours in a day.
Human beings are biologically built to live in changing scenery conditions, which aren’t offered inside buildings. More and more our modern environments are controlled by HVAC systems, artificial lighting and air fresheners.
While adjustments like addressing humidity levels and reducing EMF and following best practices can help, working outdoors is the most effective solution.
Benefits of Outdoor Workplaces
Research shows that exposure to natural sunlight, trees, and outdoor fresh air can positively impact our wellbeing, creativity and performance.
While not all jobs can be conducted outside, a workplace that has things such as outdoor lunches, walking meetings, indoor plants, and allowing remote work can all make a difference in our health. The best workplace will combine both a well-maintained indoor building and the setting of nature.
For those of you who work from home, make sure you take your meal breaks outside, introduce plants into your home office, and open the windows!
To learn more about the benefits of an outdoor workplace, check out this new infographic from BigRentz. From improving your memory to honing your focus, the benefits show the value of taking your work from your desk into the outdoors.
EMF Exposure – Understanding How You Can Reduce Your Exposure
EMF is a sneaky thing – because you can’t see or smell it, it is often not considered.
When people are exposed to EMF, they can get a variety of symptoms. With regards to radio frequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME), the officials that set the exposure standards only recognise “thermal effects” – so set the standards to below the level at which tissues are heated.
EMF Exposure Standards Are Too High
I firmly believe that there are many health/biological effects that occur well before this level. I believe that the exposure standards are way too high, especially when IARC (the International Agency for Research on Cancer) recognise radio frequency EME & ELF AC magnetic fields as “Category 2B” (this means that they recognise that these types of EMF are possibly carcinogenic to humans).
There is a growing body of research from scientists (including retired ones!) that not only shows that certain types of EMF result in the body reacting in a certain way, but also are becoming more able to explain how and why these reactions occur.
Symptoms from EMF Exposure
Common symptoms from EMF exposure, based on my observation and interaction with hundreds of clients over the years:
headaches and migraines (especially unexplained)
poor sleep, including vivid dreaming
waking feeling unrefreshed
low energy
pain, including sciatica
grinding teeth (bruxism)
ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
poor concentration
Reducing your EMF exposure is important – not through gadgets and stickers, but through turning things off, switching to safer options, and making choices about when and how you use technology.
This is one of my favourite areas to work with people on. Why? Because often, simple changes to behaviour can significantly reduce your exposure.
At Eco Health Solutions, my team and I assess radio frequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME), ELF AC magnetic fields, ELF AC electric fields and dirty electricity.
EMF Exposure in the Home
Here are the top 5 sources of EMF that my team and I commonly see in homes:
1 The meter (smart or otherwise) and the fuse box on the bedroom wall
2 Power boards under the bed
3 Mobile phones and devices (sometimes even found under pillows!)
4 Cordless phones
5 Wi-fi
Reducing your exposure is important – and since our homes are our castles, they are also our safe havens.
Workplaces can expose staff members to extremely high levels of EMF – without realising it!
EMF Exposure in the Workplace
Here are the top 5 sources of EMF that my team and I commonly see in workplace:
1 Cordless headsets
2 Wi-fi
3 Mobile phones and devices
4 The “IT hub”
5 A “spaghetti” pile power cords under the desk
Given most people spend a good 8 hours at work, it is important to reduce your personal exposure as much as possible.
When I first began assessing buildings for health hazards, I was dumbfounded to discover leadlighting (aka stained glass in the US) still used lead. Yes, despite the known risks, lead is still used for leadlighting!
My concerns:
Anyone creating leadlight glass products would have a higher than usual exposure to lead
Many houses have leadlighting throughout, especially the “Golden Age” homes – so these doors and windows are quite accessible to children and pets
As well, older leadlighting can begin to break down, so lead levels in house dust can be elevated
Lead tastes sweet (so I am told!) – which is why so many children suck on paint chips.
Recently I created three images for the Volcano Art Prize – run by LeadSafeWorld.
“Test Your Soil”
Lead can easily contaminate our soil – from traffic dust, breaking down paints, and even through the water (lead-based solders, or water collected from a roof that has lead flashing).
Message: if you are planning a veggie garden or a chook run, it is recommended that you have the soil tested first.
“Distressed”
A very fashionable paint look at the moment is the “distressed look.” More often than not, this is deliberately done. However, peeling paint on older buildings very likely contains lead – and then sanding is definitely not recommended.
Message: if you have an older building, either test the paint for lead OR encapsulate it by adding layers of paint and be sure never to sand it.
“Look Up!”
This image was designed to help people remember that lead dust, amongst many other contaminants may be found in the roof/ceiling void.
Message: Before any renovation, even the installation of downlights, have a member of the Australian Dust Removalists Association (ADRA) remove the dust from your ceiling void safely.
Prevention is better than cure!
Please help create awareness. Lead poisoning is not as uncommon as it should be.
If you have any concerns – please feel free to get in touch.
There is a lot of marketing around products for mould… and a lot of hype now that the effects of mould on health are gaining awareness in the community. In this video, I share with you information about mould & essential oils.
I want to shed light and science onto this, making things simple for you!
More Information on Mould & Essential Oils
Oregano and Thyme Essential Oils are the best anti-fungals of the essential oils – this has been demonstrated by numerous studies (see below).
Connecting to the Ethernet has many benefits, no matter who you are or what your reason is.
If you are looking for a safer way to use the internet than wifi – this if for you.
If you want to have a good connection for video calls or games – this is for you.
If you want to stream movies, etc more smoothly – this is for you.
How To Connect to the Ethernet – Simply, Cheaply and For Your Health
Here are the simple step-by-step instructions to connect to the Ethernet.
I am going to assume zero knowledge and explain things as simply as possible. Let’s start with some definitions.
Definitions
What is “Ethernet”?
Simply put, the Ethernet is your cabled internet connection.
It is the same as LAN (local area network).
The connection is an RJ-45 – seen here. (Please bear in mind that the cable and plug is often blue or yellow, but may be different colours. Do look at the plug part of it – this is the important bit.)
To the right here, is an image of an Ethernet cable with a close up of the plug.
EMF Basics
EMF
EMF is the abbreviation for electromagnetic fields. There are many different types of EMF.
Wireless
Wireless technology depends on radio frequency electromagnetic energy (RF EME). We do sometimes use more complicated terms. But everything wireless is either HF or RF.
Wired
Wired technology can create a variety of different types of EMF.
If it is wiring or appliances connected to the mains it is “ELF AC” EMF. This is extremely low frequency alternating current EMF. This is man-made. Because it goes back and forth (thus “alternating”) it creates magnetic fields and electric fields that are often high, and problematic for many people.
If it is something that runs on battery, it is not alternating, and generally the fields are lower.
Something You May Need – Your “Charging Cable”
To simplify this post, I wanted to explain what I mean here by a “charging cable.”
All devices and phones come with a cable to charge them when the battery gets low. Most of them are made up of a cable that is inserted into a plug that you put into a powerpoint.
When you separate them out, you will have two parts – the plug and the charging cable. The charging cable will have a USB plug on the end.
Goal
The goal is to reduce exposure to wireless EMF and also the AC EMF.
As such, we are looking to work from batteries, and reduce exposure to other EMF to levels as low as possible.
Another good reason is to have a steady connection which aids smooth streaming.
EXPERT TIPS
Once you are connected, please make sure you turn off Bluetooth, 3G/4G/5G and wifi.
Your phone, tablet or device will be connected to the internet and can be used in FLIGHT MODE. This is recommended.
Be aware that when your phone is in FLIGHT MODE you cannot make or receive calls. You can send and receive text messages.
Here’s How to Use the Internet via Ethernet
Modem or Router
Firstly, your modem/router needs to be one that doesn’t emit HF/RF. Depending on where you are and if you are connected to the NBN yet or not, the type of modem will vary.
Generally, you can get a modem/router that cannot be used wirelessly from online stores.
When looking to purchase one, you need to ask a key question – which is actually the opposite of what you want.
Can I use this wirelessly?
By asking this, you find out if it emits HF/RF. If the answer is, “No” – then this is GREAT. If the answer is “Yes” – you need to keep looking.
(The reason to ask this way around is that any modem/router can be used via cable/ethernet – so you won’t find out if it emits HF/RF EMF.)
Computer
Simply plug your ethernet cable into your modem/router and into the socket (plug hole) on your computer.
** be sure to turn off wifi, bluetooth, etc on your computer as well
(The reason to switch these off is that even if you are not using them, if they are on, they are searching for a signal.)
Tablets, Phones and Other Devices
This is a tiny bit more complex, but very very easy.
You need to determine if you have an Apple product or an Android product. Once you have that figured out, you can follow these simple steps.
Apple (iOS)
The more recent Apple phones and tablets have a “lightning” connection. I will walk you through both options – so let’s do one at a time.
Lightning to Ethernet
This is quite a small plug and on your device, it will look like this:
Building courage has been important in these three great things that have happened in the last week or so.
First
Firstly, I finnnaaalllllyyyyyy completed my Advanced Diploma in Building Biology. With only one subject to go, loads of travel, and a lot of work on my plate, it was such a struggle to get this done. Pretty much every block of time that I had set aside to study, something came up or someone needed something, and my study time disappeared. I started to recognise the pattern, so I set a date. I focused and worked really hard to get through the enormous pile of readings, and do the assessments. I had to push the date out a tiny bit, but I DID IT!!
Second
The second one was the talk I did for the AustralAsian Academy of Anti Ageing Medicine conference on 3rd August. I was so ridiculously nervous. I have spoken to around 5000 people in the building industry in the last twelve months, but this one had me running scared. Why? Because I created an idea of what I thought they expected and knew I wouldn’t be doing that. I made up this story that had me all freaked out and in avoidance mode. To top it off, I was the second speaker for the day, and listening the to first one confirmed my stories (he was incredible!!). I had to really get the self-talk happening, that it was going to be fine – completely different style, completely different level of information, and perfect in its uniqueness. It was a smaller group that I was used to (around 70), but this actually made me more nervous! Anyway, I got up there and did it. I could hear a slight waver in my voice, fortunately no one else noticed. At the end, I was astonished at the positive reception I had for it. And now, all of those medical professionals are more aware of the role that our built environments play in our health, and are thinking more broadly in how best to assist their patients.
Third
And most recently, I heard back that my application to be a speaker at the Indoor Air Quality Association conference in 2019 in the US was approved! Applying for this was scary as it meant putting myself out there, possibly being rejected, and then if accepted, speaking in front of some amazing scientific minds… I did it anyway, even though I was literally terrified. Straight after sending it, I posted “I did it!” on social media – because it was such a big deal…
So, why am I sharing all of this?
I think all of us get scared of doing things, and procrastinate and push them down the list. But I think all of those things we need to do are important on the grander scale, and it is only the stories we create that hold us back.
I really want to encourage you to just do it anyway. You never know just how your action can ripple out into the world and make it a better place.
“Sick Building Syndrome” is a term that has been around for a few decades to explain how and why people are affected by their buildings. As a building biologist, I am frequently assessing the health of buildings (whether they are sick or not) and how they may impact upon the health of the occupants – be that at home or at work.
Guest author Jennifer Bennett discusses sick building syndrome in relation to the workplace.
Sick Building Syndrome: Is Your Workplace Healthy?
Does it sometimes seem like everyone in your office is coming down with something?
Are you and your colleagues constantly coughing and sniffling, or complaining of headaches, dizziness and nausea?
Or perhaps you’re just really tired all the time?
And yet, when 5 o’clock rolls around and you’re on your way home, you start to feel a lot better.
You might be thinking that you just hate being at work!
Could it be more..?
However, there may be something other than burnout or a bad bout of the flu to blame.
If you’re experiencing odd symptoms that disappear when you go home, your building may well have a case of Sick Building Syndrome.
This is a somewhat mysterious condition that causes general feelings of ill health in occupants of a building, including headaches, aches and pains, skin irritation, fatigue and shortness of breath.
The precise causes of Sick Building Syndrome haven’t been identified, but the general consensus is that it’s a symptom of environmental problems within a building.
People first started reporting Sick Building Syndrome in the 1970s, when economic pressures and oil embargoes forced architects and engineers to design more airtight office buildings to cut energy costs.
As a direct result, indoor air quality drastically worsened, as polluted air became trapped in buildings rather than being recirculated outside.
Chemical pollutants such as VOCs and biological contaminants such as mould then gradually rose in concentration, resulting in the health problems in employees that we now call Sick Building Syndrome.
Poorly designed ventilation systems also resulted in uncomfortable temperatures and high humidity levels, which can further encourage mould growth.
What is the Impact?
A poor working environment doesn’t just have health implications – it can also have a profound economic impact on businesses.
Sick Building Syndrome drastically reduces productivity, with poor indoor air quality estimated to cost employers around $15 billion a year in worker inefficiency and sick leave.
It’s also been noticed that Sick Building Syndrome is most common in open plan offices, and it’s unlikely to be a coincidence that employees in open plan offices also take on average 62% more sick days than those in cellular offices.
It’s clear that something needs to be done.
This infographic…
Paint Inspection have designed this infographic to tell you everything you need to know about this important topic.
Covering everything from the symptoms and causes, to the costs to businesses and some actionable solutions, we’re sure you’ll leave this blog feeling more equipped to deal with your unhealthy office building!
About the Author
Jennifer Bennett is the Content Writer at Paint Inspection, a UK-based coating inspection and surveying company.
About 14 years, I first met Nicole Bijlsma in my first year of my Chinese medicine studies. She was a guest lecturer and taught us about Feng Shui. The very next semester, I enrolled in the course…
And so began the journey…
It was in this course that I first heard about “chemical sensitivities.” This information served me well in diagnosing myself when mine developed.
Laying in my hospital bed, I determined that when I was well enough, I would study building biology and prevent others from becoming as sick as I had.
Once qualified, I joined the committee of the Australasian Society of Building Biologists where Nicole and I worked closely for several years, with each of us taking the role of President in that time.
She was a speaker at both Environmental Sensitivities Symposiums and then brought me onto staff at “the college” (Australian College of Environmental Studies). We work closely together and have a firm friendship.
Here is a more formal introduction:
Nicole Bijlsma has experienced first hand how the environment impacts health. As it was for me, it was this journey, and observing her patients, that prompted her study into Building Biology.
She is the founder of the Australian College of Environmental Studies. Nicole is the author of Healthy Home Healthy Family, which has been featured on every major television network in Australia. This third edition is vastly different from the previous two. It utilises almost 900 references, and is therefore a rich source of evidence-based information.
I interview Nicole here about the third edition of her book and ask some questions that we are all hanging out to hear her opinion on!
Lead Poisoning Prevention is Better than Cure
