Sick building syndrome

Sick building syndrome is the name for symptoms you get while you're in a particular building. It usually happens in an office, but you can get it in any building.

Check if you have sick building syndrome

Symptoms of sick building syndrome get worse the longer you're in a particular building and get better after you leave.

Other people in the building may also have symptoms.

Possible symptoms include:

Information:

These symptoms are common and can be caused by lots of things. They're unlikely to be a sign of sick building syndrome if you have them all the time, or when you're in lots of different places.

How to ease the symptoms yourself

It might help to:

Non-urgent advice: If you think you have sick building syndrome, speak to:

  • your manager or employer – if you get symptoms at work
  • the building manager or owner (such as the landlord) – if you get symptoms in another building

They should look into the problem and try to find a solution.

You can also get help and advice from:

The HSE has advice for employers and building managers on how to deal with sick building syndrome.

Causes of sick building syndrome

It's not clear exactly what causes sick building syndrome.

It's probably due to a combination of things, such as:

Sick building syndrome mostly happens in open-plan offices.

Page last reviewed: 22 September 2020
Next review due: 22 September 2023