United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
November 1989
19K-1003
?/EPA
Indoor Air Quality And
Work Environment Study
EPA Headquarters' Buildings
Volume 1
Employee Survey
Printed on Recycled Paper
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Indoor Air Quality and Work Environment Study:
EPA Headquarters Buildings
Volume I: Employee Survey
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Westat, Inc.
John B. Pierce Foundation Laboratory at Yale University
This work was performed under EPA Contract 68-01-7359.
November, 1989
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
TECHNICAL TEAMS
This study of indoor air quality and work environment was conducted by three technical
teams representing multiple organizations. It was jointly developed and carried out at EPA
headquarters and the Library of Congress* Madison Building under the auspices of these teams
working independently of both management and unions at both EPA and the Library of Congress.
Overall project coordination was provided by two technical team leaders: Kevin Teichman
at EPA and Lawrence Fine at NIOSH.
SURVEY DESIGN TEAM
EPA
Mel Kollander, Senior Survey Statistician
Lance Wallace, Environmental Scientist
F. Cecil Brenner, Statistician
Westat
Robert P. Clickner, Senior. Statistician
Stephen K. Dietz, Senior Statistician
NIOSH
Anne Fidler, Epidemiologist
Thomas Wilcox, Physician
Joseph Hurrel, Psychologist
Richard Homing, Statistician
John B. Pierce Foundation at Yale University
Brian P. Leaderer, Environmental Scientist
Oliver John Selfridge, Environmental Scientist
MONITORING TEAM
EPA
Lance Wallace, Environmental Scientist
Ross Highsmith, Chemist
Larry Purdue, Chemist "
Steve Hern, Biologist
James Repace, Physicist
Ken McLauchlan, Professional Engineer*
Richard Gorman, Industrial Hygienist
Michael Crandall, Industrial Hygienist
Rebecca Stanevich, Industrial Hygienist
John B. Pierce Foundation at Yale University
Brian P. Leaderer, Environmental Scientist
Oliver John Selfridge, Environmental Scientist
EPA
REPORTING AND ANALYSIS TEAM
NIOSH
C. J. Nelson, Statistician
Mel Kollander, Senior Survey Statistician
Lance Wallace, Environmental Scientist
F. Cecil Brenner, Statistician
Gilah Langner, Editor*
John Robinson, Survey Statistician*
Westat
Robert P. Clickner, Senior Statistician
Anne Fidler, Epidemiologist
Joseph Hurrel, Psychologist
John B. Pierce Foundation at Yale University
Brian P. Leaderer, Environmental Scientist
Oliver John Selfridge, Environmental Scientist
'Consultant
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors of this report wish to thank all those whose efforts contributed to the success of
this study. First, we appreciate the technical and contractual support of the EPA Project Officer,
Mel Kollander, and David Weitzman, Julius Jimeno, Kevin Teichman and Robert Axelrad. They
have worked closely with the project team to ensure the success of this study.
We also wish to thank Linda Nainis and her staff at the Georgetown University Library for
assisting in the pretest. The input received was most helpful.
A special thanks goes to Mary McCaffrey and Stan Fredericks whose assistance in locating
office space and assistance in setting up the survey was invaluable.
We would also like to thank Sherry Selevan, Anthony Scialli, M.D., Donna Perla, and Ingrid
Schulz for their assistance in the development of the gynecological portions of the survey.
We appreciate the thoughtful reviews of the questionnaire and the drafts of this report by
William Hirzy of NFFE (National Federation of Federal Employees), Kirby Biggs of AFGE
(American Federation of Government Employees), and David Weitzman and Julius Jimeno (EPA
Health and Safety Division), and those who worked with them.
We also appreciate the contributions of numerous Westat staff without whose efforts this
project could not have succeeded. In particular, we wish to acknowledge Frankie Robinson, Field
Director; Lenora Bohren, Deputy Field Director; William Devlin, Systems Analyst; Janice
Machado, Grethel Hoffmaister and Nita Lemanski, Research Analysts; and Douglas Duncan,
Helen Powell and Sharon Beausejour, Programmers.
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Eifi§
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1
1 INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1 Background. 1-1
1.2 Study Objectives 1-3
1.3 Study Reports 1-4
2 STUDY DESIGN 2-1
2.1 EPA Buildings 2-1
2.2 Design Issues 2-3
2.3 Conceptual Study Design...... 2-4
3 EMPLOYEE SURVEY METHODOLOGY 3-1
3.1 Development of the Employee Questionnaire 3-1
3.2 Content of the Questionnaire 3-2
3.3 Maximizing Respondent Participation 3-9
3.4 Employee Survey Field Protocol 3-16
3.5 Data Preparation 3-18
4 ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING METHODOLOGY 4-1
4.1 Selection of Environmental Monitoring Sites 4-1
4.2 Environmental Monitoring Research Design 4-4
4.3 Air Measurement Methods 4-5
4.4 Supplemental Questionnaire 4-8
IV
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Chapter
5
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)
Page
EMPLOYEE SURVEY RESULTS 5-1
5.1 Note on Data Presentation 5-1
5.2 Health Symptoms 5-2
5.2.1 Major Health Symptoms Experienced
Last Year 5-3
5.2.2 Other Health Symptoms Experienced
Last Year 5-15
5.2.3 Health Symptoms Experienced Last Week 5-17
5.2.4 Effects of Health Symptoms on Work 5-17
5.2.5 Perceived Association of Symptoms
with Building 5-20
5.2.6 Potential Sources of Irritation 5-23
5.3 Comfort Issues 5-27
5.4 Employee Characteristics 5-30
5.4.1 Demographics 5-34
5.4.2 General Health Characteristics 5-36
5.4.3 Job Satisfaction and Stress 5-36
5.4.4 Workstation and Exposure 5-37
5.5 Essay Question 5-41
APPENDICES
A Employee Questionnaire A-l
B Supplemental Questionnaire..... B-l
C Selected Data Tables from Employee Survey C-l
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
LIST OF EXHIBITS
Exhibit ES8S
ES-1 Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always
Last Year That Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA
Headquarters Building ES-5
ES-2 Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always
Last Year That Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA
Headquarters Building and by Group of Symptoms ES-6
ES-3 Percent of all Respondents Who Had Symptoms Sometimes, Often
or Always Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving Work,
by EPA Headquarters Building ES-7
ES-4 Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always
Last Year That Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by Sector
in Waterside Mall ES-10
ES-5 Percent of all Respondents Reporting One or More Days of
Symptom and Average Symptom Days Last Week, by EPA
Headquarters Building ES-11
ES-6 Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting
to Adjust Environmental Comfort Last Year, by EPA
Headquarters Building ES-13
ES-7 Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting
to Adjust Environmental Comfort Last Year, by
Waterside Mall Sector ES-13
2-1 Map of Washington, D.C 2-2
2-2 Conceptual Design....... 2-4
3-1 Letter to EPA Managers 3-11
3-2 Letter Transmitting Questionnaire to EPA Employees 3-12
3-3 Respondent Reminder Notice 3-14
3-4 Survey Response Rates: Total and By Building 3-15
4-1 Environmental Monitoring Methodology 4-6
4-2 Supplemental Survey Description and Participation Request 4-11
5-la Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting
Symptoms Often or Always Last Year, by EPA Headquarters
Building 5.5
VI
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
LIST OF EXHIBITS (Continued)
Exhibit Page
5-lb Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always
Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA
Headquarters Building 5-7
5-2a Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting
Symptoms Sometimes, Often or Always Last Year, by EPA
Headquarters Building 5-8
5-2b Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Sometimes,
Often or Always Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving
Work, by EPA Headquarters Building 5-10
5-3 Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always
Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving Work, By Sector
in Waterside Mall 5-11
5-4 Variation in Distribution of Cases for Selected Indoor Air
Quality Symptoms, by Waterside Mall Sector 5-12
5-5 Variation in Distribution of Cases for Respiratory or Flu-like
Symptoms, by Waterside Mall Sector ; 5-13
5-6 Variation in Distribution of Cases for Ergonomic Symptoms,
by Waterside Mall Sector 5-14
5-7 Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Ever
Having Symptom Clusters Last Year, by EPA Headquarters
Building 5-16
5-8 Percent of all Respondents Reporting One or More Days of
Symptom and Average Symptom Days Last Week, by EPA
Headquarters Building 5-18
5-9 Number and Percentage of Responding Employees Indicating
Impact of Symptoms on Ability to Work Last Year, by EPA
Headquarters Building 5-19
5-10 Percentage of Responding Employees Associating Symptoms with
Building Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building 5-21
5-11 Percent of All Respondents Whose Symptoms Get Better Upon
Leaving Work, Among Those Who Have Symptoms Often or
Always, by EPA Headquarters Building i 5-22
5-12 Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Increased Frequency
and Duration of Infection Since Beginning Work at Building 5-24
vu
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
LIST OF EXHIBITS (Continued)
Exhibit
5- 13a Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose, Throat or
Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes at Workstation Last Year
- WATERSIDE MALL 5-25
5- 13b Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose, Throat or
Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes at Workstation Last Year
- CRYSTAL MALL 5-25
5-13c Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose, Throat or
Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes at Workstation Last Year
- FAIRCHILD BUILDING 5-25
5-14a Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat
Irritation to New Carpet Last Year, by Waterside Mall
Sector. 5-26
5- 14b Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat
Irritation to Paint Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector. 5-26
5-14c Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat
Irritation to Tobacco Smoke Last Year, by Waterside
Mall Sector 5-26
5-15 Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to
Adjust Environmental Comfort Last Year, by EPA Headquarters
Building 5-28
5-16 Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to
Adjust Environmental Comfort Last Year, by Waterside
Mall Sector 5-28
5-17a Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to
Adjust Physical Conditions, by Season - WATERSIDE MALL 5-29
5-17b Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to
Adjust Physical Conditions, by Season - CRYSTAL MALL 5-29
5-17c Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to
Adjust Physical Conditons, by Season - FAIRCHILD BUILDING.. 5-29
5-18a Odors Noticed at Present Workstation Last Year
- WATERSIDE MALL 5-31
5-18b Odors Noticed at Present Workstation Last Year
- CRYSTAL MALL 5.31
vui
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
LIST OF EXHIBITS (Continued)
Exhibit
5-18c Odors Noticed at Present Workstation Last Year
- FAIRCHILD BUILDING 5-31
5-19a Percent of Responding Employees who Noticed Other Food Smells
at Present Workstation, Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector 5-32
5-19b Percent of Responding Employees who Noticed New Carpet Odors
at Present Workstation, Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector 5-32
5-19c Percent of Responding Employees who Noticed Diesel/Engine
Exhaust Odors at Present Workstation, Last Year, by Waterside
Mall Sector 5-32
5- 19d Percent of Responding Employees who Noticed Paint Odors
at Present Workstation, Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector 5-32
5-20 Degree of Satisfaction with Physical Workstation Environment
Last Year and Last Week, by EPA Headquarters Building 5-33
5-21 Age and Gender Distribution, by EPA Headquarters
Building 5-35
5-22 Satisfaction with Specific Characteristics of Job, by EPA
Headquarters Building 5-38
5-23 Description of Current Workstation, by EPA Headquarters
Building 5-39
5-24 Summary of Responses to the Essay Question 5-42
5-25 Health Symptoms Reported First, by EPA Headquarters Building.... 5-45
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Background
In recent years, employees at the three headquarters buildings of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed their concerns about indoor air pollution
and work environment discomforts. Because of the difficulties encountered in determining the
exact causes of such concerns about building environments, EPA has undertaken a systematic
study of the nature and spatial distribution of employee health symptoms and comfort concerns in
an attempt to determine if associations exist between employee responses and specific workplace
conditions.
This is the first of three reports that investigate the perceived and actual quality of
indoor air at EPA headquarters. This report documents the design of the study and the results of
the detailed survey of all EPA employees conducted in February 1989. Three work complexes
were surveyed: Waterside Mall and the Fairchild Building in Washington, D.C. and Crystal Mall
in Arlington, Virginia. This report presents only a descriptive summary of the survey data.
Results of the environmental monitoring will be presented in Volume II; multivariate analyses of
both sets of study results will be presented in Volume HI.
The research effort at EPA was integrated with a parallel study at the Library of
Congress Madison Building. Both the EPA and the Library of Congress surveys made use of
common study designs and survey instruments, although separate reports have been prepared for
each agency. While certain features of the study are specific to the particular buildings involved,
the survey was designed to be applicable to any building suspected of environmental problems.
Information continues to be obtained by both labor and management on the health
symptoms of EPA employees and the quality of indoor air at EPA headquarters. For example,
both the National Federation of Federal Employees Local 2050 and the American Federation of
Government Employees Local 3331 have accumulated information on the illnesses experienced by
EPA employees. This information is provided in a supplement to this report entitled, "Additional
Employee Adverse Health Effects Information."
ES-1
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
2. Study Design
Because of the lack of prior information on employee health that could be used as
benchmark data, and because of the spatial variability of ventilation, thermal factors, and other
conditions that influence health and comfort, a comprehensive survey of all EPA employees at
each of the three headquarters locations was required. A self-administered questionnaire was
distributed to all employees in February 1989, asking for information about health symptoms and
comfort concerns, along with data on background health and demographic characteristics. Among
the topics covered in the questionnaire were:
• Location of workstation (to detect associations between the survey and
monitoring data);
• Description of workstation, both current and changes over the last year;
• Amount of time spent at workstation;
• Health symptoms experienced while in building, both in the previous week and
in the previous year;
• Other health characteristics and risk factors: wearing of contact lenses and
eyeglasses, smoking, allergies, asthma, etc;
• Eye, nose, throat, or respiratory irritation from tobacco smoke or other
chemicals during last year;
• Gynecological problems during last year;
• Comfort issues: temperature, humidity, air movement, noise, dust, light, odors,
and furniture during last year;
• Job characteristics, including job satisfaction and job stress; and
• Education, job pay plan and grade, and job classification.
To increase participation in the survey, both management and unions were given the
opportunity to review the draft questionnaire and their endorsements were communicated to all
employees prior to the survey. Stringent measures were taken to ensure the confidentiality of all
responses.
Findings from the employee survey were used to rank all rooms in the buildings on
the basis of a health symptom index and comfort index, and then to select about 100 locations for
ES-2
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
environmental monitoring and physical measurements. Environmental monitoring was conducted
three weeks after the employee survey. All locations were monitored for temperature, relative
humidity, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. A subset of locations was also sampled for
nicotine, biological contaminants, particles, formaldehyde and other aldehydes, other volatile
organic compounds, and pesticides. In addition, ventilation parameters were measured.
While the monitoring was in process, a supplemental questionnaire was also
administered to all employees near the environmental equipment. This provided a basis of
comparison between air measurements and employee experiences on the same day.
3. Results of the Employee Survey
The overall response rate for the survey questionnaire across all three buildings was
81 percent, with 3,955 of an estimated 4,900 EPA employees completing the survey. More than
1,400 employees also took the opportunity to volunteer additional comments in the "essay"
question provided at the end of the survey form.
Key results are reported below, first for health symptoms and then for comfort issues.
It is important to note that the health symptoms and comfort issues reported in the survey are self-
reported by the respondents, and have not been verified by a physician's diagnosis as part of this
study. No attempt is made in this report to associate health or comfort outcomes with possible risk
factors in the buildings. These analyses will be the focus of Volume III.
Health Symptoms by Building
The most frequently occurring health symptoms reported by respondents were
roughly similar across the three buildings - headaches, contact lens problems (among contact lens
wearers), stuffy nose, dry/itchy skin, dry/itchy/tearing eyes, strained eyes, and sleepiness.
To focus the findings on health symptoms that are potentially building-related, the
report uses the concept of "cases." Each case represents an employee who reported experiencing a
health symptom "often" or "always" last year and whose health symptom reportedly got better when
ES-3
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
the employee left work. The use of "cases" is intended to focus on symptoms that are recurring
rather than occasional and that appear to be connected in some way to the building.
As Exhibit ES-1 shows, the highest percentages of cases were reported for the same
top seven symptoms across all three buildings (although ranked in different orders in each
building):
headache
stuffy nose/sinus congestion
dry, itching, or tearing eyes
sore/strained eyes
unusual fatigue or tiredness
sleepiness or drowsiness
contact lens problems (among contact lens wearers)
Each of these symptoms was experienced often or always by at least 10 percent of
respondents and was reported to improve after the employee left work. Another view of the same
data is provided in Exhibit ES-2 which groups the symptoms into three categories:
1. Indoor Air Quality Symptoms, typically associated with acute discomfort, such
as headache, runny nose, stuffy nose/sinus congestion, dry, itching, or tearing
eyes, burning eyes, dry throat, fatigue, and sleepiness;
2. Respiratory or Flu-like Symptoms, which may be manifested in clinically
defined illnesses that may require prolonged recovery times after leaving the
building. Such symptoms include cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest
tightness, fever, and aching muscles or joints; and
3. Ergonomic Symptoms, which include back pain or stiffness, and pain or
numbness in the shoulder, neck, hands, or wrists.
As Exhibit ES-2 shows, the predominant symptoms reported in each building are
those associated with poor indoor air quality. Headache, fatigue, and symptoms associated with
mucous membrane irritation have often been reported in published evaluations of indoor air
quality.
The use of "cases" may be considered by some as representing a conservative estimate
of symptoms experienced by respondents. For example, it may be useful to consider the
prevalence of symptoms reported by respondents sometimes, in addition to often or always.
Therefore, for comparison, Exhibit ES-3 provides the percent of all respondents who had
ES-4
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit ES-1: Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always Last Year that
Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder /neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
16%
1%
8%
16%
7%
4%
1%
2%
2%
17%
16%
4%
10%
4%
3%
10%
15%
15%
5%
1%
4%
28%
2%
3%
5%
10%
7%
6%
6%
6%
6%
2%
CRYSTAL
MALL
11%
1%
9%
17%
7%
5%
1%
1%
1%
12%
12%
3%
8%
3%
2%
7%
14%
19%
1%
1%
4%
19%
2%
2%
5%
11%
6%
4%
6%
6%
5%
2%
FAIRCHILD
16%
1%
7%
15%
8%
4%
2%
2%
2%
15%
18%
5%
11%
4%
1%
9%
11%
13%
2%
0%
2%
27%
2%
1%
4%
8%
5%
6%
6%
4%
5%
2%
These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II,
Question l.a), as opposed to alj respondents in the building.
Reference: Pan II, Question 7.
ES-5
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Exhibit ES-2:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always Last Year that
Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA Headquarters Building and by Group of
Symptoms
SYMPTOM
Indoor Air Quality Symptoms
Headache
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Burning eyes
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Respiratory or Flu-like Svmotoms
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Ergonomic Symptoms
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
16%
8%
16%
17%
10%
10%
15%
15%
4%
1%
2%
2%
1%
4%
6%
6%
6%
2%
CRYSTAL
MALL
11%
9%
17%
12%
8%
7%
14%
19%
5%
1%
1%
1%
1%
4%
6%
6%
5%
2%
FAIRCHILD
16%
7%
15%
15%
11%
9%
11%
13%
4%
2%
2%
2%
0%
2%
6%
4%
5%
2%
Reference: Part n, Question 7.
ES-6
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Exhibit ES-3:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Sometimes, Often or Always
Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA Headquarters
Building
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
41%
10%
20%
29%
22%
14%
4%
7%
6%
35%
37%
12%
27%
14%
10%
23%
34%
41%
16%
4%
10%
47%
10%
15%
19%
32%
27%
12%
16%
16%
14%
7%
CRYSTAL
MALL
30%
7%
18%
26%
20%
12%
3%
5%
12%
29%
35%
8%
22%
12%
6%
18%
32%
42%
10%
3%
7%
38%
8%
17%
17%
33%
27%
11%
14%
15%
12%
6%
FAIRCHILD
42%
19%
15%
29%
20%
12%
2%
6%
6%
34%
40%
14%
27%
11%
8%
23%
32%
40%
11%
3%
9%
46%
8%
9%
15%
28%
23%
11%
18%
19%
16%
7%
These percentages are based upon oiuv the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Pan II,
Question l.a), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
ES-7
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
symptoms sometimes, often, or always and that got better upon leaving work. In addition, it is
recognized that certain symptoms that may be building-related do not improve upon leaving work
(e.g., muscle pains, hypersensitivity reactions, and immune responses). The main body of the
report includes exhibits that eliminate the "got better upon leaving work" criterion.
About a third of respondents (28 to 38%) in each of the three buildings indicated that
their symptoms reduced their ability to work at least some of the time. About a quarter of
respondents indicated that their symptoms resulted in having to stay home or leave work early
sometimes or often in the past year (22 to 25% at each building).
Among Waterside employees, 62 percent of respondents associated one or more of
their symptoms with their work building, compared to 56 percent of Crystal respondents and 49
percent at Fairchild. Of those employees reporting that they "often" or "always" experienced
symptoms, the percentage who reported that their symptoms improved when they left the building
generally ranged between 60 and 70 percent.
More employees in Waterside than in the other buildings reported that both the
frequency and duration of their infections had increased since they began work in their building.
At Waterside, 39 percent of respondents reported more frequent infections (compared to 31
percent and 23 percent for Crystal and Fairchild, respectively), and 36 percent of Waterside
respondents reported longer lasting infections since beginning work there (compared to 31% and
23% for Crystal and Fairchild, respectively).
Among nine listed possible sources of eye, nose, throat, and respiratory irritation,
paint and tobacco smoke were among the top four irritants in all three buildings. At Waterside
Mall, fumes from new carpeting, paint, and tobacco smoke were mentioned as the three leading
sources of irritation. Crystal respondents were more likely to identify paint fumes, tobacco smoke,
and fumes from copy machines. Fairchild respondents pointed primarily to new carpeting, tobacco
smoke, and fumes from new drapes and paint. About one third of all respondents reported that
they consider themselves especially sensitive to the irritants mentioned.
ES-8
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EPA Headquarters
Health Symptoms in Waterside Mall Sectors
A fairly clear pattern of health symptoms emerges when one breaks down the
Waterside Mall complex into six separate "sectors." A greater prevalence of the problems reported
in Waterside Mall are associated with the 2nd floor Mall, 3rd floor Mall, and Southeast Mall
sectors. Respondents in these three sectors were also more likely to report that their symptoms
reduced their ability to work and they perceived a stronger association of their symptoms with the
building than respondents in other sectors.
Exhibit ES-4 shows data on cases reported for each of the six sectors of Waterside
Mall. The same 7 symptoms noted above receive the most reports of cases. The 2nd and 3rd
floors of the Mall and the Southeast Mall report the highest percentages of problems, with 20
percent or more respondents reporting cases of stuffy nose/sinus congestion (3rd floor Mall); dry,
itching, or tearing eyes (2nd floor Mall and Southeast mall); sore/strained eyes (2nd floor Mall);
and sleepiness or drowsiness (Southeast Mall). Among respondents who wear contact lenses at
work, the percentage who reported problems with their lenses reached 45 percent in the 2nd floor
Mall and 38 percent on the 3rd floor Mall.
Health Symptoms Reported Last Week
Respondents were asked on how many days last week they experienced the individual
symptoms while working in the building. This question was thought to provide a more immediate,
and perhaps more accurate, measure of the extent of symptom occurrence since the recall period
was much more recent. In addition, this question was used to select sampling locations. The
results reported in Exhibit ES-5, show the percentage of respondents experiencing the symptom at
least one day on the previous week; also shown are the number of days respondents experienced
the symptom in the last week.
In general, the results appear consistent with the relative ranking of cases in the
previous year (Exhibit ES-1) although the percentages reporting symptoms are much higher. This
is not surprising, however, since the percentages of symptoms experienced during the past year
represented only those who responded "often" or "always" and whose symptoms got better when
they left work. Forty percent or more of respondents in each building reported experiencing
ES-9
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Exhibit ES-4:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always Last Year that Got
Better Upon Leaving Work, by Sector in Waterside Mall
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder /neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
14%
1%
7%
15%
6%
4%
1%
1%
1%
14%
15%
4%
9%
3%
3%
8%
12%
13%
2%
4%
3%
24%
2%
3%
5%
9%
6%
6%
4%
4%
4%
2%
WEST
TOWER
13%
1%
9%
13%
7%
5%
1%
2%
1%
15%
14%
4%
10%
3%
3%
9%
15%
14%
5%
0%
4%
25%
2%
2%
5%
10%
6%
6%
8%
7%
5%
2%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
18%
1%
9%
16%
7%
6%
1%
3%
3%
21%
22%
7%
13%
7%
5%
15%
17%
18%
5%
0%
5%
45%
3%
5%
4%
12%
10%
8%
5%
4%
6%
4%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
19%
2%
10%
21%
8%
6%
2%
3%
2%
18%
18%
3%
11%
5%
3%
12%
17%
17%
5%
1%
5%
38%
3%
4%
5%
10%
10%
8%
7%
6%
7%
2%
NE
MALL
16%
2%
8%
16%
7%
4%
1%
3%
2%
13%
14%
3%
9%
3%
2%
8%
12%
14%
6%
1%
4%
31%
3%
3%
6%
9%
6%
6%
6%
7%
6%
1% .
SE
MALL
18%
14%
8%
16%
6%
2%
2%
,2%
2%
20%
19%
3%
10%
9%
4%
14%
15%
20%
4%
5%
6%
29%
1%
4%
5%
12%
10%
5%
4%
6%
4%
2%
*These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II, Question
l.a), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Pan II, Question 7.
ES-10
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Exhibit ES-5:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of All Respondents Reporting One or More Days of Symptom and Average
Symptom Days Last Week, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOMS
Headache
Nausea
Runny Nose
Stuffy Nose
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Chest Tightness
Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
Sore/Strained Eyes
Blurry/Double Vision
Burning Eyes
Sore Throat
Hoarseness
Dry Throat
Unusual Fatigue
Sleepiness
Chills
Fever
Aching Muscles
Problems w/ Contact Lenses**
Difficulty Remembering Things
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
Feeling Depressed
Tension or Nervousness
Difficulty Concentrating
Dry or Itchy Skin
Pain in Upper Back
Pain in Lower Back
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Pain in Hands or Wrist
WATERSIDE MALL
% 1+ Days*
53%
13%
42%
51%
40%
31%
8%
11%
9%
41%
41%
16%
28%
25%
15%
31%
44%
50%
18%
8%
26%
46%
21%
18%
27%
37%
33%
36%
23%
27%
21%
11%
Avg.Days
2.0
1.7
2.7
2.9
2.3
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.5
2.5
2.2
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.4
2.4
1.9
2.5
2.8
2.4
2.0
2.2
2.3
2.3
3.3
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.6
CRYSTAL MALL
% 1+ Days*
47%
12%
36%
47%
38%
30%
7%
10%
11%
35%
37%
13%
23%
22%
13%
25%
40%
49%
9%
6%
26%
39%
18%
13%
26%
39%
33%
30%
22%
25%
21%
11%
Avg.Days
2.0
1.7
2.8
3.0
2.3
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.4
2.7
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.2
2.5
2.7
2.7
2.6
2.2
2.6
2.7
2.6
2.2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.3
3.2
2.6
2.7
2.6
2.6
FAJRCHILD
% 1 + Days*
49%
13%
36%
51%
40%
30%
8%
9%
9%
40%
44%
17%
29%
22%
14%
26%
43%
48%
15%
8%
21%
44%
19%
15%
26%
35%
32%
34%
24%
24%
19%
10%
Avg. Days
2.2
1.6
2.7
2.8
2.4
2.5
3.0
2.4
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.5
2.1
2.1
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.2
1.9
2.4
2.3
1.9
1.8
2.3
2.4
2.0
3.1
2.6
2.3
2.5
2.6
Based on the total number of responding employees.
•
These percentages are based upon onlx the people who wear contact lenses at work (Part II, Question l.a), as opposed
to ail responding employees.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
ES-11
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
headaches, stuffy nose, fatigue, and sleepiness in the week before the survey. Respondents
indicated an average duration of between two and three days for most symptoms.
Comfort
Overall, respondents were generally satisfied with their immediate physical
workstations (chair comfort, lighting). This may be due to employees' ability to adjust these
factors. For example, desk lamps are used regularly by 42-46 percent of respondents.
Dissatisfaction with building-related factors, however, was reported in each building and at
somewhat higher levels in Waterside Mall than in the other two buildings.
As one measure of dissatisfaction, for example, last year 48 percent of Waterside
respondents reported bringing in portable fans to their offices, compared to 45 percent at Crystal
and 36 percent at Fairchild. Waterside respondents also regularly made use of portable heaters in
substantial numbers (22% of respondents). As Exhibit ES-6 shows, between 40 percent and 51
percent of respondents often or always wanted to adjust air movement, and between 38 percent
and 55 percent of respondents often or always wanted to adjust the temperature.
In all three buildings, respondents reported the air to be often or always too dry
rather than too humid, with too little as opposed to too much air movement. For example, in
Crystal Mall, these reported percentages were 38 percent as opposed to 8 percent and 48 percent
as opposed to 3 percent, respectively. The desire to adjust temperature was seasonally dependent
in all three buildings, with respondents wanting to adjust temperature more during winter and
summer. For example, over two-thirds of all respondents in Waterside Mall reported wanting to
adjust temperature during winter and summer months.
Exhibit ES-7 breaks down these responses by Waterside Mall sector. A need for
adjustments in air movement and humidity was reported most by respondents on the 2nd and 3rd
floors of the Mall and the Southeast Mall. Temperature adjustments were desired most in the 2nd
and 3rd floors of the Mall, West Tower, and Southeast Mall.
This report also outlines the findings of the survey regarding respondent background
characteristics -- including employee demographic characteristics, health factors not related to the
ES-12
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit ES-6: Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to Adjust Environmental
Comfort Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
Adjust Air Movement
Adjust Temperature
Adjust Humidity
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
1,574
1,708
1,077
Percent
51%
55%
35%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
210
174
160
Percent
46%
38%
35%
FAIRCHILD
Number
164
162
131
Percent
40%
40%
32%
Reference: Part ID, Questions Ic, If and li.
Exhibit ES-7: Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to Adjust Environmental
Comfort Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector
Adjust Air Movement
Adjust Temperature
Adjust Humidity
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
N
759
765
756
%
45%
52%
33%
WEST
TOWER
N
581
594
589
%
49%
59%
34%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
N
392
394
392
%
61%
62%
40%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
N
489
491
484
%
58%
59%
41%
NE
MALL
N
432
431
429
%
51%
54%
33%
SE
MALL
N
216
221
217
%
58%
57%
42%
Reference: Part III, Questions Ic, If and li.
ES-13
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
buildings, job satisfaction and sources of stress, and the physical work environments in which
employees work. These factors will be used in the Volume III analyses as background variables to
help explain patterns of health symptoms and comfort problems. These analyses will provide a
more detailed context in which to understand the differential health and comfort problems
experienced by different types of employees, and employees in different buildings and sectors.
The analyses will thus help to determine to what extent the health and comfort symptoms
described in this report can be attributed to building conditions and to what extent they can be
attributed to other independent factors.
ES-14
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
The quality of the air and the work environment in office buildings has become an
increasingly important issue. Workers in numerous modern, apparently well-designed office
buildings have suffered ailments and discomforts that appear to be related to working in the
buildings, whether from unacceptable indoor air quality, job characteristics, or other factors.
Health concerns of workers in office buildings fall into several categories, including symptoms
associated with indoor air quality, comfort concerns, and ergonomic symptoms. Indoor air quality
symptoms refer to a complex mix of occupant reported symptoms associated with acute discomfort
(e.g., headache, fatigue, stuffy nose, sinus congestion, eye irritation, sore throat) that improve
while away from work. Comfort issues include concerns about air movement, temperature,
humidity, odors, and physical comfort considerations (e.g., lighting, noise). Back pain/stiffness or
pain/numbness in shoulders or hands are examples of symptoms associated with ergonomic
stresses (repetitive motion or awkward postures).
Building related illnesses, another important potential health problem among office
workers, are diseases that are caused by specific building-related etiologic factors. For example,
hypersensitivity pneumonitis can be caused by bioaerosols produced by microbial contamination of
ventilation systems, water-damaged rugs, furniture, or ceilings. This respiratory illness is
characterized by infiltrates seen on chest x-rays and non-specific symptoms (fever, muscle aches,
cough, and shortness of breath). Other building related illnesses include toxic effects of
overexposure to chemical agents such as carbon monoxide (initial symptoms of headache and
nausea) and dermatitis caused by fibrous glass which wears from ventilation duct linings. These
symptoms can, of course, often occur for reasons unrelated to working in the building. Essential to
the proper diagnosis of individuals with building related illnesses are physician evaluation and the
measurement of environmental contaminants.
In recent years, employees in the three headquarters building complexes occupied by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed their concerns about indoor air
pollution and work environment discomforts. Some of these concerns arose from incidents in
which EPA employees became ill shortly after building renovations. Information continues to be
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
obtained by both labor and management on the health symptoms of EPA employees and the
quality of indoor air at EPA headquarters. For example, both the National Federation of Federal
Employees Local 2050 and the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3331 have
accumulated information on the illnesses experienced by EPA employees. This information is
provided in a supplement to this report entitled, "Additional Employee Adverse Health Effects
Information."
In response to these continuing concerns, EPA decided to undertake a systematic
study of the nature and spatial distribution of the employees' health symptoms and comfort
concerns, and to attempt to determine if associations exist between employee responses and
specific workplace conditions. This research effort was integrated with a parallel study at the
Library of Congress Madison Building where employees were also reporting health symptoms and
discomfort that they attributed to the building. The study team consisted of researchers from
EPA, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the John B. Pierce
Foundation at Yale University, and Westat, Inc., a health statistics consulting firm. The National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly the National Bureau of Standards, NBS)
was engaged to study the Madison Building's ventilation system.
Both the EPA and the Library of Congress surveys made use of similar study designs
and survey instruments, although separate reports are being prepared for each agency. While
certain details are specific to the particular buildings involved, the survey design is applicable to a
study of any building suspected of environmental problems.
This report documents the first part of a thorough investigation of indoor air quality
at EPA headquarters. Specifically, this report documents the design of the study and the results of
a survey conducted in February 1989 of all EPA employees working in three complexes:
Waterside Mall and the Fairchild Building in Washington, D.C. and Crystal Mall in Arlington,
Virginia. This report presents only a descriptive summary of the survey data. Results of the
environmental monitoring and analyses of the entire study results will be presented in subsequent
reports.
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
12 Study Objectives
The goal of this study is to characterize the extent of building-related health, comfort,
and environmental problems at the three EPA headquarters buildings and to suggest remedies.
The indoor air quality research was conducted with the following four specific
objectives.
1. Survey the nature, magnitude and spatial distribution of health symptoms and
comfort concerns.
2. Characterize selected physical, chemical and biological aspects of the building
in selected locations during the survey period.
3. Generate hypotheses from any associations observed between health and
comfort effects and environmental factors while taking into account factors that
would confound or modify such associations.
4. Identify areas not in compliance with standards or guidelines.
To fulfill Objective 1, a survey was conducted of all federal employees in the target
buildings. To fulfill Objective 2, environmental monitoring was conducted for the following
pollutants:
- nicotine;
- carbon monoxide;
- respirable particles (<2.5 micron);
- formaldehyde and other aldehydes;
- other volatile organic compounds, including 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PC);
- pesticides;
- viable organisms (bacteria and fungi); and
• non-viable organisms (pollen and fungal spores).
Monitoring also was conducted for comfort related factors: carbon dioxide,
temperature, humidity and airflow, as well as other ventilation parameters. At the time of the
environmental monitoring, a second questionnaire was administered to persons working in the
vicinity of monitoring stations in order to assess health and comfort concerns on the day of the
survey. Objectives 3 and 4 will be fulfilled by an integrated analysis of all these bodies of data.
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
1J Study Reports
This report is the first of three reports documenting the study. This report addresses
Objective 1; it presents detailed results of the questionnaire survey, including information about
work-station design, health and comfort concerns, and potential related factors. Volume n will
address Objective 2 and will report on environmental monitoring data collected in conjunction with
the second, supplemental survey. Volume HI will address Objectives 3 and 4 and will present a
statistical investigation of the interrelationships among employees' responses, the environmental
monitoring data, identified risk factors, and confounding factors.
This report is organized as follows. Chapter 2 presents a summary of the overall study
design. Chapter 3 explains the survey methodology in detail. Chapter 4 summarizes the
environmental monitoring methodology. Finally, the results of the survey are presented in
Chapter 5. A series of appendices contains the questionnaires used in the surveys and additional
data tables.
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EPA Headquarters
2. STUDY DESIGN
This chapter provides an overview of the study design developed and implemented at
EPA headquarters. Section 2.1 describes the physical locations of the EPA buildings involved;
Section 2.2 examines certain important issues that shaped the design of the study; Section 23
presents the conceptual design of the study and its major components. For additional discussion of
the study design, see Chapters 3 and 4.
2.1 EPA Buildings
The three buildings that serve as EPA headquarters are located within a several-mile
radius in the Washington, D.C. area (see Exhibit 2-1). Waterside Mall in Southwest D.C. was built
in 1970, with EPA taking occupancy in 1971-72. At about the same time, a lease for office space in
Crystal Mall 2, one of a complex of buildings in Crystal City, VA, was transferred to EPA. EPA
occupancy of the Fairchild Building, located not far from Waterside Mall, dates from 1979-80.
Within Waterside Mall, a major objective of the study was to determine the spatial
variation of health symptoms, comfort parameters, and odors. For this analysis, the building was
divided into six "sectors": the East Tower, the West Tower, the second floor of the Mall, the third
floor of the Mall, the Northeast Mall, and the Southeast Mall.
These sectors were chosen because they are reasonably homogeneous areas. For
example, the two 12-floor Towers are basically separate buildings in themselves, being connected
to the 3-story Mall only in the basement garage and by narrow passageways on the third floor of
the Mail The second floor of the Mall was designed for commercial occupancy; compared to the
third floor, its ceilings are much higher and most of the partitions do not reach the ceiling.
Therefore, air circulation patterns are likely to be different on the second floor of the Mall than on
the third floor.
2-1
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Exhibit 2-1: Map of Washington, D.C.
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
T^*
FAIRCHILD
WATERSIDE
Q
CRYSTAL
2-2
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Unlike the Towers and Mall, the two remaining sectors of Waterside Mall were
constructed in the 1980's. The Southeast Mall, an appendage to the second and third floors of the
Mall, was constructed in the early 1980's. The Northeast Mail is the newest portion of the
building, having been constructed during 1986-7. The Northeast Mall covers five floors (basement,
ground, first, second, and third).1
22 Design Issues
The study objectives required a survey of employees to systematically collect
information about their reactions to their work environments and environmental monitoring to
ascertain the levels of environmental contaminants in the air and characterize ventilation
parameters. Further, the objectives required that the survey and monitoring be conducted in a
manner that permitted the detection of associations between the two sets of data at common
locations. At the same time, there were several constraining factors and ancillary objectives
present that influenced the ultimate study design. These influences are summarized here.
Inadequate Prior Data. Some information about employee health and discomfort
complaints existed within the agency. However, there was little or no usable information on
employee health or comfort problems that could be used as part of this study. Therefore, it was
deemed necessary to design and conduct a survey of employees.
Need for Complete Enumeration. Ventilation, thermal factors and other conditions
that influence health and comfort have great spatial variability. They can change sharply in a few
feet. Consequently, a sample of employees may miss significant problems. This suggested that a
complete enumeration be conducted with the 4,900 EPA employees in the three headquarters
buildings.
Maximize Participation. There were a number of concerns about the employees'
reactions to the survey. It was felt that the employees with complaints would be more likely to
1A third, small area, the Southwest Mall, is attached to the second floor of the mall and was also constructed in the 1980's. Since the area
is small (only 48 persons relumed questionnaires from this area), it was decided to combine those responses with the remainder of the
second floor of the Mall.
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
respond than those without complaints. It was necessary to approach the employees in a manner
that encouraged participation by all employees.
Need for Confidentiality. The survey required the collection of sensitive data, and
also required that respondents' workstation locations be identified. These factors generated a
number of concerns about the privacy of employees' responses and, consequently, the participation
rate. The employee unions wanted assurances that management would not be able to see any
individual's data. All parties involved in the research felt that the participation rate would suffer
without firm assurances of confidentiality.
Limited resources. Available resources did not allow for telephone or in-person
interviewing; it was therefore decided to design the questionnaire for self-administration. This, in
turn, required minimizing: respondent burden, the potential for misunderstanding questions,
effects of memory lapses, and potential for refusing to answer sensitive questions.
Also, since the number of sites that could be monitored was limited by the availability
of resources and environmental monitoring equipment, it was decided to conduct the employee
survey first, and to use the results to guide the selection of monitoring sites. To increase the ability
to detect associations between survey information and environmental monitoring data, a second
survey limited to employees in the vicinity of the monitoring equipment was also planned.
23 Conceptual Study Design
In view of these considerations, it was decided that the study objectives could be
achieved most efficiently through the multi-pronged approach diagrammed in Exhibit 2-2 and
outlined below.
Exhibit 2-2: Conceptual Design
Employee
Survey
N
Selection of Monitoring
Sites Using:
• Health symptom index
• Comfort index
[— >
-*
Environmental Monitoring
Supplementary Questionnaire
Survey
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Employee Survey
A survey of employees in the target buildings was conducted in February 1989 using a
self-administered questionnaire. The survey collected information about employees' health
symptoms and comfort concerns, along with a number of possible risk factors and confounding
factors. It thus yielded a detailed data base concerning EPA employee reactions to their
workplace environment. The specific topics covered by the questionnaire included:
• Location of workstation (to enable the detection of associations between the
survey and monitoring data);
• Description of workstation; both current and changes over the last year;
• Amount of time spent at workstation;
• Health symptoms experienced while in building, both in the previous week and
last year;
• Other health effects and risk factors: contact lens and eyeglasses wear,
smoking, allergies, asthma, etc;
• Eye, nose, throat, or respiratory irritation from tobacco smoke or other
chemicals during last year;
• Gynecological problems during last year;
• Comfort issues: temperature, humidity, air movement, noise, dust, light, odors,
and furniture during last year;
• Job characteristics, including job satisfaction and job stresses; and
• Education, job pay plan and grade, and job classification.
During the questionnaire's development, extensive reviews and pretests with
debriefings were conducted. The pretests took place at a university library and another federal
government agency. Pretesting was not .conducted with Library of Congress or EPA employees in
order to avoid any possible biases in the full-scale survey.
A broad array of techniques designed to enhance the participation rates was
employed. Both management and unions were given the opportunity to review the draft
questionnaire. Endorsements were secured from top management and union leaders and
communicated to all employees prior to the survey. Employees were assured by management,
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EPA Headquarters
unions and the health contractor that their individual responses would not be revealed to
management or union representatives. The questionnaires were distributed to the employees
through their supervisors. However, questionnaires were returned in sealed envelopes directly to
the contractor, not through labor or management. Those not responding in a timely fashion were
prompted with friendly telephone calls. Announcements and reminders were posted throughout
the building during the field period.
Selection of Monitoring Sites
Findings from the employee survey were used to select approximately 100 locations
for environmental monitoring. Rooms were selected for monitoring using a protocol developed
for this purpose. To avoid possible biasing of the results, selections were made by the contractor
independently of management, unions and the rest of the technical team. (A detailed description
of the protocol is given in Section 4.1.) Briefly, a health symptom index was computed for each
employee from the questionnaire responses, and a standardized mean symptom score was
computed for each room in the building. Similarly, a comfort index was computed for each
employee from the questionnaire responses and a standardized mean comfort score was computed
for each room in the building.
Rooms were independently ranked according to the standardized health and comfort
indices. Rooms were selected for environmental monitoring, starting with the rooms with the
highest values for both indices and the lowest values for both indices. Results of these rankings
were not revealed to the monitoring team. In the selection of rooms, greater priority was given to
the health symptom index over the comfort index; and lesser priority was given to rooms with only
one occupant.
Environmental Monitoring and Supplemental Survey
The monitoring was conducted three weeks after the employee survey. All locations
were monitored for temperature, relative humidity, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. A
subset of locations included measurements of nicotine, biological contaminants, particles,
formaldehyde and other aldehydes, other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pesticides. In
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
addition, ventilation parameters were measured. See Chapter 4 for a detailed description of the
monitoring.
A supplemental questionnaire was administered to all employees near the
environmental equipment while the monitoring was on-going. "Near" was defined to include those
within 30 feet of the monitoring carts, with no intervening walls. The supplemental questionnaire
was, in large part, adapted from the portion of the original survey that collected information on
employees' activities, health symptoms, comfort, and psychological state, in this case, on the same
day as the monitoring.
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3. EMPLOYEE SURVEY METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes in detail the methodology employed in the survey of EPA
headquarters employees. The development of the questionnaire is described in Section 3.1.
Section 3.2 describes the content of the questionnaire. Section 3.3 reviews the techniques used to
maximize response rates and the results achieved. Section 3.4 describes the administration and
collection of the questionnaires, and Section 3.5 describes the data preparation process.
3.1 Development of the Employee Questionnaire
This section briefly describes the development of the employee survey questionnaire.
A preliminary draft questionnaire was initially developed to explore in-depth associations between
health symptoms and comfort concerns, and the work environment and indoor air quality for the
Madison Building of the Library of Congress. The first draft of the questionnaire was 36 pages
long and took 60 to 75 minutes to administer. Since overly long questionnaires tend to have lower
response rates, it was decided to reduce the average administration time to no more than 30
minutes.
From October 1988 through January 1989, the draft questionnaire was thoroughly
reviewed by experts in each subject area, and representatives of the EPA management and unions.
All comments were studied by the Survey Design Team, which led to numerous revisions of the
questionnaire. The final questionnaire was 20 pages long and met the goal of a 30-minute
administration time.
The revision process began by prioritizing questions according to their relevance to
the objectives of the study. Each question in the preliminary draft questionnaire was assigned a
priority rating. Only those questions with the higher ratings remained in the questionnaire. Some
questions that may not appear to be related to air quality and work environment were retained.
These were questions that explore confounding factors, i.e., explanations for health symptoms
other than indoor air quality.
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A series of pretests and focus groups were designed and conducted to test and refine
the questions, to explore the reliability of specific questions and the overall questionnaire, to
discuss confidentiality issues, and to test the administration procedure. For the first pretest, a
library setting was sought. The pretest was conducted at George Washington University Law
Library in November, 1988. Volunteers from all job categories were asked to complete the
questionnaire during the morning and participate in a focus group discussion of the questionnaire
in the early afternoon. The focus group reviewed each question, the time required to fill out the
questionnaire, and the problems of filling out a questionnaire at one's workstation.
The second and third pretests were conducted in December 1988 at the Department
of Energy in order to test the relevance of the questions and procedure in a federal agency. These
pretests involved two different groups of volunteers, separated by grade level in order to foster a
more open discussion. Many of the comments and suggestions made by the pretest groups were
incorporated into the final questionnaire, completed in January 1989. Appendix A contains the
final employee questionnaire.
32 Content or the Questionnaire
The questionnaire is divided into five sections. The first three sections address the
primary issue: what is the spatial distribution of health symptoms and comfort concerns
throughout the EPA headquarters buildings. Part IV is a section on job characteristics which
addresses job satisfaction and indicators of stress in work and non-work activities. Part V includes
demographic and other miscellaneous questions. Highlights of the contents of each part of the
questionnaire are presented below.
Parti. Description of Workstation
Potential Risk Factors
Previous studies of office workers' health symptoms have identified certain risk
factors associated with the workstation. Among these are textiles, which may collect dust or emit
organic gases; partitions, which may emit formaldehyde and other organics; and office equipment,
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such as copying machines, which may emit solvents or fumes from graphic processes1. Large
amounts of paper have been shown to be a risk factor in previous indoor air studies2. Questions 7,
8,9, and 11 collect information about these and other suspected or potential risk factors. Question
10, dealing with fans, air filters, heaters, and desk lamps is included to determine how many people
have brought such additional equipment to work to adjust the comfort factors in their workstation.
Question 12, on water leaks, is included because many investigations have identified humid
conditions or water leaks as breeding grounds for molds, fungi, and bacteria that could cause
building-related illnesses.
Exposure
Part I includes questions that characterize the potential exposure of EPA
headquarters employees to adverse environmental conditions while at their workstations (desk,
office, cubicle, or primary work place). The workstation attributes explored include the following:
• Depending on the design, construction, maintenance, and evolution of the work
space and the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, the
type of physical space (question la) has been found to be critical to the indoor
air quality of a particular space.
• Changes in workstation space configuration (question llf) were reported.
• The type of space and space sharing information (question 1) was collected for
comparison to information on comfort in Part HI, especially question 1.
• Determination of temporal employment characteristics for each employee
(questions 3, 4,5, and 6) were made.
• Data on exposure (question 9), or remediation (question 10), from specific
equipment were solicited.
1 Wallace, LA., Pellizzari, E., Leaderer, B., Zelon, H., Sheldon, L. (1987). 'Emissions of volatile organic compounds from building
materials and consumer products,' Atmos. Environ. 21:385-393.
2 Skov, P. and Valbjorn, O. (1987) 'Sick Building Syndrome in the Office Environment, the Danish Town Hall Study" Indoor Air '87
Vol. 2, pages 439-443, Institute for Water, Soil and Air Hygiene, Berlin.
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Part II. Information About Health and Well-being
In order to explore the primary question of the geographic distribution of health
symptoms and comfort concerns, health outcomes possibly associated with working in an indoor
environment, as well as potential risk factors or confounders associated with the work
environment, must be explored.
Health Outcomes
Information was sought on the occurrence of a number of symptoms that have been
reported by workers in previous evaluations of health effects of indoor air quality. Symptoms
included were those related to nasal and mucous membrane irritation, respiratory effects, and
other non-specific symptoms such as headache, fatigue, memory problems, tension, and depression
(question 7).
Questions were included on several specific potential health hazards associated with
the work environment such as the use of video display terminals (VDTs) and postural strains due
to poorly designed workstations. Eye strain (question 7, parts j, k, 1, and m) and muscle pains
(question 7, parts cc through ff) assess the effects of these potential hazards.
Information was sought on the chronic occurrence of these symptoms by asking
employees how often they experienced each symptom during the past year on a scale from "never"
to "always" (question 7). To provide an estimate of more recent symptom occurrence, employees
were asked how many days each symptom occurred in the week immediately preceding the survey.
This information was indicative of a point prevalence in the winter season and was also used to
select specific areas within the building for environmental monitoring. Finally, information was
obtained in question 7 on whether each symptom changes when a person is not at work. As a
general rule, for most symptoms, if the symptom is related to the work environment, it would be
expected to improve when the person is not at work. Some exceptions to this general rule include
muscle pains, which tend to get worse several hours after the irritating activity; hypersensitivity
reactions, such as wheezing and shortness of breath; and immune responses that can be triggered
by apparently small amounts of substances encountered at home or at work.
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The frequency of symptom occurrence (question 7) was asked for each symptom. The
severity of these symptoms was assessed by asking employees if any of these symptoms reduced
their ability to work (question 8) or caused them to miss work (question 9).
Information was sought on the increased susceptibility of the employee to respiratory
illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia (question 13) or other infections (questions 12 and 17)
as a possible concern related to the indoor work environment. Questions regarding asthma
(questions 15 and 16) were asked both to investigate the possibility of its occurrence as a result of
the indoor environment and because, if present before employment in the building, it may be a risk
factor for the occurrence of a number of symptoms included in the questionnaire.
A series of questions was included on irritation caused by a variety of fumes
(questions 19 and 20) because of a number of previous reports in the Waterside Mall as well as
from other work environments.
Information was sought on changes in the occurrence of symptoms in different
seasons due to changes in environmental factors, such as ventilation, temperature, and humidity
(question 10). This information can also be related to individual perceptions (obtained in Part III
of the questionnaire) of these environmental factors.
A series of questions concerning gynecological health issues was included in the
questionnaire, in response to employee concerns about gynecological symptoms that they
attributed to working in the Waterside Mall complex. The gynecological questions (Questions 22
thru 31) dealt with:
• Regularity of the menstrual cycles;
• Accompanying menstrual symptoms;
• Physician diagnosed problems such as fibroids, cysts, or enlarged uterus; and
• Confounding factors such as pregnancy, nursing, menopause, and prescribed
replacement or corrective hormones including birth control pills.
The questions were developed in consultation with health experts including epidemiologists and a
gynecologist.
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Other Related Health Characteristics
Information was requested on a number of characteristics that can affect responses to
the questions regarding health symptoms. Questions regarding the wearing of contact lenses and
glasses (questions 1 and 2) are used in the analysis of questions regarding eye irritation and eye
strain. Information was sought on the smoking of tobacco products (questions 3 through 6) to help
analyze health outcomes such as those related to the respiratory system and mucous membrane
irritation. Information was sought on employees with eczema (question 14) and allergies to
pollens or animals (question 18). These individuals may be more likely to experience an allergic
type response to some environmental factors. Finally, information was sought on age (question
21) and gender (question 22) since previous studies have shown that the occurrence of certain
symptoms or the tendency to report the occurrence of symptoms may be related to age or gender.3
Part III. Information About Present Work Environment
Indoor air quality attributes, such as air movement, temperature, humidity, stuffiness,
odors, and dustiness, are the focus of many concerns about indoor air quality. Each of these
physical comfort issues has been identified as likely contributing sources for many of the health
symptoms mentioned in Part II such as mucous membrane irritation, respiratory irritation,
headache, and fatigue.
Air Quality
• Questions 1, 2, 3 profile the complaints and perceived performance of the
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. The distributions of
odors, for example, may help identify possible sources and HVAC solutions.
• Employees were asked how often they wanted to adjust air movement (question
Ic), or temperature (question If), or humidity (question li). These questions
contribute to analyzing the acceptability of the workstation. The responses may
be helpful in identifying mitigation measures.
Op cit.
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Physical Comfort
• Information on noise and quiet (Question Ik and 11) was collected for its
potential relationship with health outcomes such as headache, fatigue, etc. (Part
II), to job satisfaction (Part IV), and as a portion of the overall assessment of
the physical environment.
• Information on lighting (questions 4, 5, and 6) relates to eye health (Part £[),
equipment use (Part I), and was used as a portion of the overall assessment of
the physical environment.
• Access to daylight (question 6) and the necessity and frequency of taking fresh
air breaks (question 9), are believed to be related to well-being (index from
Part II) and stress management (Part IV). Question 9 was also part of the
evaluation of the HVAC system.
• Information on the physical comfort of furniture (questions 7 and 8) was
collected to see what role workstation design and ergonomics may play in the
association of symptoms and comfort complaints, particularly eye and muscular
health (Part II) and job acceptability (Part IV).
• Information was sought on the overall assessment of the physical environment
(questions 10, 11, 12, and 13), including possible daily changes in the physical
environment.
Part IV. Characteristics of the Job
Job characteristics address issues which could possibly create stress. Stress is defined
as "a disturbing imbalance between the job and the individual".4 The work factors which can cause
stress are called job stressors. Job stressors are work conditions which produce an acute effective,
physiological or behavioral response. Stressors are important to an assessment of the work
environment, because they are capable of producing symptoms that are similar to those associated
with poor indoor air quality and therefore serve as potential confounders in this study. Questions
in this section are combined to form scales to measure commonly occurring perceived job
stressors:
• Job satisfaction: job stressors are often found to be highly related to reports of
job satisfaction. A measure of global satisfaction was included to provide a
rough index of overall job stress level (Question 1, parts a, b, c, and d). Specific
aspects of satisfaction are assessed in questions 2 and 3.
4 Steven L. Sauter, L. John Chapman, Sheri J. Knutson, "Improving VDT Work: Causes and Control of Health Concerns in VDT Use,*
Lawrence. KS. (1985).
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• Role conflict and role ambiguity are two of the most ubiquitous stressors found
in modern work environments. Role conflict (question 4, parts a, b, and c)
occurs when behaviors demanded by an individual's roles in an organization are
incompatible. Role ambiguity (question 6, parts h, i, j, and k) refers to a lack of
certainty regarding expected role behaviors.
• Job control (question 5, parts a, b, c, and d) has been associated with
psychological and physical health complaints. This scale assesses control over
workload, resources needed to do the job, policies and procedures at work, and
workstation surroundings.
• Quantitative workload (question 6, parts a, b, c, and d) refers to the amount of
work an individual has to do and the pace at which the individual must work.
Quantitative workload is one of the most commonly assessed job stressors in
the occupational stress literature and has been linked to a variety of health
complaints.
• Underutilization of abilities (question 6, parts e, f, and g) measures the extent
to which workers are required to use skills and knowledge in completing their
work. Underutilization of abilities is a highly prevalent stressor thought to
produce a variety of health complaints.
• External stressors (question 7) form an index of overall non-work demands.
These are important to assess because non-work demands can increase the
level and nature of work demands and vice versa. Work and non-work
demands may interact to increase symptom reporting.
Job stressors act as confounders which complicate a determination of the cause of
indoor air quality complaints. The particular questions and scales used in this section have already
been validated in previous job stress studies and were chosen because of their reliability of
measuring work and non-work stressors.5'6'7
5Caplan, R.D., Cobb, S. French, J.R.P. Jr., Van Harrison, R. and Pinneau, S.R. (1975). Job demands and worker health. HEW
Publication No. (NIOSH) 75-160.
^Quinn, R.P. and Staines, G.L. (1979). The 1977 Quality of Employment Survey. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Quinn, R.P. and Shepard, LJ. (1974). The 1972-73 Quality of Employment Survey; Descriptive statistics with comparison data from the
1969-70 Survey of Working Conditions. Ann Arbor Survey Research Center.
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Part V. Concluding Questions
This section addresses basic demographic issues such as: living and financial
arrangements; job, pay and educational classifications; and workstation location. Demographic
issues such as job classification or education can help explain clustering of responses. Workstation
location was asked so that responses could be related to environmental monitoring. Part V
concludes with an opportunity for the respondent to volunteer anything else that concerns him or
her about air quality or environmental health in the building. There were two major reasons for
including this question. First, the questionnaire may have left out an important factor in health or
environmental considerations. If enough respondents mention the same factor, then it both merits
attention and may be important to include in future building studies. Second, an essay question
gives respondents the opportunity to express any strong feelings or opinions that cannot be
expressed within the structure of the questionnaire. Respondents were assured of the
confidentiality of their responses to Part V, as well as to the entire survey.
33 Maximizing Respondent Participation
A comprehensive plan was developed and implemented to maximize responses to the
questionnaire:
• endorsement was secured from management and union leaders and
communicated to all employees prior to the survey;
• management and union leaders reviewed a draft questionnaire and made
comments;
• all employees were notified of the survey a few days before the distribution of
the questionnaires;
• questionnaires were distributed through the supervisors;
• the questionnaires were tracked to ensure that every employee received one;
• confidential return of the questionnaires to the health statistics contractor was
accomplished by the use of questionnaire return boxes maintained and
collected only by contractor employees;
• a hot line was provided for all employees for questions regarding the
questionnaire or its confidentiality;
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• telephone calls were made to all employees to prompt non-participants to
return their questionnaires; and
• reminders of the survey due dates were posted in designated locations in the
building.
The plan assured that the questionnaire was approved by both management and the
unions with the qualification that maximum precautions be taken to ensure confidentiality of the
participants' responses. With this assurance, management and unions agreed to communicate
their endorsement to all EPA personnel. As part of this effort, a letter was sent from the
Administrator to supervisors explaining the nature of the survey, the contractor's role in the
survey, and the procedure they were to follow in distributing the questionnaires to their staff
(Exhibit 3-1). A second letter, included with the questionnaires, was sent to all employees from
the outside researchers, introducing themselves and explaining the nature of the questionnaire and
the procedure to be followed in filling out and returning the questionnaire (Exhibit 3-2). Included
in the letter was the contractor's phone number that respondents could use for questions regarding
the questionnaire or confidentiality.
Confidentiality was built into the protocols for the distribution, return, and review of
the questionnaire. The questionnaire was delivered by supervisors in sealed envelopes to each
employee with the assurance that neither they nor other EPA management would see the
employee's responses. Once completed, the questionnaires were returned by the respondents in
special, sealed envelopes to questionnaire return boxes located on each floor. The only identifying
information on the questionnaire was an employee identification number used by the contractor in
tracking and analyzing the data. This number and its association with an EPA employee was
known only to the contractor and was used to keep track of questionnaire returns. The
questionnaire return boxes were maintained and collected by the contractor. The questionnaires
were taken to the contractor's facilities in Rockville, Maryland to be processed.
In order to encourage maximum response, telephone prompts were made on
Wednesday and Thursday of the survey week. The telephone prompts asked the employees:
• If they had received a copy of the questionnaire;
• If they were in the process of completing the questionnaire;
• If they planned to fill out the questionnaire;
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Exhibit 3-1: Letter to EPA Managers
i UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
* WASHINGTON O C 20*60
t
ao c.'Scs [Feb. 8, 1989]
MEMORANDUM T-« *o".'"«™.ro
SUBJECT: Indoor Air Quality and Work Environment Survey
FROM: John A. Moore
Acting Deputy Administrai
TO: Senior Managers, Managers and Supervisors
We are implementing z three pan approach to characterize our headquarters office
indoor air quality in order to identify remedial actions. A study of the building's ventilation
systems is almost complete; a monitoring effort measuring the level of air pollutants is
scheduled for March and finally, all headquarter employees will be surveyed this month.
The third part of the approach requires your cooperation. On February 13,1935,1
want yon to distribute an Indoor Air Quality and Work Environment Survey questionnaire
to each member of your staff and provide men sufficient time to complete it (30-45
minutes). A100% response rate is our goaL Because the survey is voluntary, your support
is essential.
You will receive the-questionnaire-packets on February 10, 1989 from a Westat
representative. Westat, a private health research firm, is administering the survey for EPA.
so expect to be contacted by them. You should instruct your staff to take their completed
questionnaires to "questionnaire return stations" located near the elevators and building
exits. The questionnaire return station boxes wfll be picked up by Westat'Staff and taken
to Westat facilities to be opened and processed. The employees will be assured
confidentiality; no one within EPA or the unions will be able to see individual responses.
It is vital that yon do not attempt to see any completed questionnaires.
The survey was developed by a team of senior scientists and statisticians from our
Agency, AFGE and NFFE Unions, NIOSH, Yale University and Westat. It is
representative of EPA*s leadership in the development of methods for conducting indoor
air investigations. The process of solving indoor air quality problems can be a slow one
involving many trial and error steps before successful remedial actions are identified. I
appreciate your assistance in the implementation of this survey, a critical step towards
action.
For further information contact David Weinman, Director, Environmental Health
and Safety Division at 382-3640.
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Exhibit 3-2: Letter Transmitting Questionnaire to EPA Employees
Indoor Air Quality & Work Environment Study
February 9, 1989
Dear EPA Employee:
EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management has asked Westat. Incx. a private
health survey research firm, with the support of the John B. Pierce Foundation Laboratory at Yale
University, to ask you some questions about the indoor air quality and work environment at the
EPA headquarters buildings. Your participation is voluntary, but we encourage you to Oil out the
enclosed questionnaire and return it to Westat promptly - today, if at all possible. Your
participation is needed, regardless of how satisfied you are with your work environment, to help
clarify our understanding of the situation in your building.
It is important to answer the questionnaire as completely as possible. Some questions may not
seem to be related to air quality issues but are needed to help us understand your total work
environment. Your careful answers will ensure the accuracy of the information obtained.
Your questionnaire will be handled in a manner that ensures the strict privacy of your responses.
The coded identifying number you see on the front of the questionnaire is there to provide a way
to locate your workstation in your building. This is necessary so that your responses can be related
to the upcoming environmental measurements. No one at EPA or the unions will be given any
information that would allow them to trace or reconstruct an individual's identity.
PLEASE PUT THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE IN THE ENCLOSED RETURN
ENVELOPE SEAL FT. AND TAKE IT TO ONE OF THE "QUESTIONNAIRE RETURN
STATIONS' NEAR THE ELEVATORS AND BUILDING EXITS. THESE BOXES WILL BE
REMOVED FROM THIS BUILDING BY WESTAT STAFF AND WILL NOT BE OPENED
UNTIL THEY REACH WESTATS FACILmES.
We appreciate your participation in the survey. In a few weeks, air measurements will be taken at
various locations within the EPA headquarters buildings. People who work near these locations
may be asked a few more questions at that time.
If you need any assistance in completing the questionnaire, please contact Westat's field
operations manager at 294-2845.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Clickner. Ph.D. Brian P. Leaderer. Ph.D.
WESTAT. Inc. John B. Pierce Foundation Laboratory
Yale University
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WESTAT. INC.. 1650 nmaai Bau****. RodMte. MO (301) 294-3846
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• If they did not plan to fill out the questionnaire, why not;
• If they did plan to fill out the questionnaire, they were reminded to fill it out
and return it to the questionnaire return boxes by 3:00 pm on Friday; and
• If they had already filled out the questionnaire, they were reminded to return it
to the questionnaire return boxes by 3:00 pm on Friday. Also, notices (Exhibit
3-3) were posted in designated locations in the building during the survey week
reminding the participants to return their questionnaires by 3:00 pm on Friday.
Because the response rates were lower than anticipated as the end of the survey week
approached, it was decided to extend the field period into the following week at all three EPA
buildings. It is believed that the initial response rates were lower than anticipated in part because
the questionnaires took longer than expected to be distributed to all employees and the Presidents'
Day Holiday (Monday, February 20) slowed down the field effort.
Response Rates
The overall response rate across all three buildings was 80.7 percent, with 3,955 of an
estimated 4,900 EPA employees completing the survey. As shown in Exhibit 3-4, this response
rate varied by building, gender, race, pay plan, and office.
• Building: Nonresponse varied from about 18 percent at Waterside Mall to 21
percent at Crystal City to 27 percent at the Fairchild Building. The higher
nonresponse at Fairchild generally held up across gender, race, etc. categories.
• Gender: The nonresponse rate varied from about 16 percent for men to 21
percent for women. This gender difference was most pronounced at Fairchild.
• Race: Nonresponse varied from about 15 percent for whites, Asian-Americans
and Hispanics to 30 percent for blacks. This held across buildings.
• Pay Plan: The nonresponse rates varied between less than 20 percent for
executives and general schedule workers to 25 to 50 percent for part-time and
other categories of workers.
• Office: Nonresponse varied from less than 10 percent at the General Counsel's
Office to just over 20 percent at several other offices. Workers in
Administration, Enforcement and Compliance, and Research and Development
also had higher than average response rates.
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Exhibit 3-3: Respondent Reminder Notice
PLEASE RETURN ALL QUESTIONNAIRES BY
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17.
This Questionnaire Return Station available continuously
until 3:00pm on Friday.
f
Any questions? Call Westat at 294-2845.
s I
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Exhibit 3-4: Survey Response Rates - Total and by Building
Total
Gender
Women
Men
Race
White, Nonhispanic
Black, Nonhispanic
Hispanic, Asian, etc.
Pay Plan
Senior Executive Service
Merit Pay
General Schedule
Wage Grade
Other
Missing (3)
Office
Administration
Air and Radiation
Administration & Resource Mgmt.
External Affairs
Enforcement and Compliance
General Counsel
Inspector General
Policy and Planning Evaluation
Pesticides & Toxic Substances
Research and Development
Solid Waste & Emergency Response
Water
All EPA Buildings
Employees
Surveyed (1)
4,900
2,586
2.268
3,165
1,289
446
138
1,021
3.390
101
96
154
134
316
904
143
142
136
96
237
1.147
287
703
594
Response
Rat*
81%
79%
84%
85%
70%
83%
80%
85%
81%
62%
75%
75%
82%
78%
78%
79%
85%
93%
90%
78%
81%
88%
79%
80%
Non-
Response
19%
21%
16%
15%
30%
17%
20%
15%
19%
38%
25%
25%
18%
22%
22%
21%
15%
7%
10%
22%
19%
12%
21%
20%
Nonresponse Rate (2)
Waterside
Mall
18%
19%
15%
14%
28%
17%
22%
14%
17%
53%
26%
26%
19%
20%
20%
21%
15%
7%
10%
22%
18%
12%
21%
18%
Crystal
Mall
21%
23%
17%
17%
33%
19%
•
13%
21%
•
•
•
•
«
*
•
•
•
•
•
21%
•
•
•
Falrchild
Building
27%
34%
20%
21%
43%
13%
•
20%
31%
•
•
•
•
28%
25%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
38%
Notes:
(1) The total number of employees who received questionnaires.
(2) An asterisk (*) indicates an insufficient sample size.
(3) "Missing" refers to questionnaires in which pay plan data was missing or could not be interpreted.
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An understanding of the sources of differential nonresponse and their impact on the
survey results may become possible when detailed analyses of the survey data are performed.
3.4 Employee Survey Field Protocol
This section presents the selection criterion for respondents and the protocols used by
the field team in administering the survey.
The list of employees to be surveyed (the "frame") included all current full-time and
part-time EPA employees located in the EPA headquarters buildings, as well as Senior
Environmental Employees and an additional 12 EPA employees currently unable to work in
Waterside Mall due to illnesses attributed to the building. The frame did not include on-site or
off-site contractor employees and employees of other federal agencies. Two labels were generated
for each employee. One label listed the employee's name, office number and supervisor; the other
was a six digit ID with a bar code.
The questionnaire was designed to be self-administered. Contractor field staff
distributed the questionnaires to EPA supervisors and collected the completed questionnaires
from return station boxes. The field staff were responsible for the following tasks:
• Setting up the return station boxes in designated locations, exits and elevator
lobbies;
• Transferring return station boxes to the contractor;
• Ensuring that envelopes containing completed questionnaires were not opened
until they reached the contractor;
• Monitoring the return station boxes and locations in the building;
• Removing full boxes to designated areas;
• Reporting any .problems, missing return station boxes, vandalism to return
station boxes, etc; and
• Referring respondents with questions to the Field Operations Manager and
returning completed questionnaires to questionnaire return station boxes.
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The field staff distributed the questionnaire packets to the EPA supervisors at
Waterside Mall on February 10. The survey began on February 13, when the Waterside Mall
supervisors distributed the questionnaire packets to their staff. The questionnaire packets were
distributed to EPA supervisors at Crystal Mall and the Fairchild building on February 17, who then
distributed them to their staff on February 21.
Each packet contained the following:
• The questionnaire;
• Two letters, one explaining the purpose of the study, the second explaining the
procedures to follow when the questionnaire was completed; and
• An envelope used by the respondent when returning the completed
questionnaire to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
If there were problems with the distribution of the packets, the EPA supervisors
contacted the field supervisors for assistance. Few problems occurred; most were the result of
respondents relocated to another building, retired, recent hires or in some cases on annual or sick
leave. Where necessary, field staff distributed copies of the questionnaire to respondents who did
not receive one or misplaced the first copy. While the EPA supervisors distributed the
questionnaire packets, the field staff set up questionnaire return station boxes in all the elevator
lobbies throughout the building. There were approximately 75 return station locations in the
Waterside Mall building, 5 return station locations in the Crystal Mail building, and 5 return
station locations in the Fairchild building. The return station boxes remained in the elevator
lobbies for the duration of the survey period and were monitored every hour by the field staff.
The monitoring was done to prevent vandalism and to identify any station that was at
least half-filled with questionnaires. The quantity in the return station box was determined by
lifting the station and gently shaking it. When a return station box was found to be at least half-
filled, it was removed and replaced with an empty return station box. The half-filled return station
boxes were taken to the field office, opened, and consolidated with the contents of other boxes. At
the end of the day the filled return station boxes were transported to the contractor. Under no
circumstances were the return station boxes or the completed questionnaires handled by anyone
other than contractor personnel. Once at the contractor's offices, the return station boxes were
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opened, the sealed envelopes were removed and opened, and the questionnaires were processed
through receipt control.
3.5 Data Preparation
Receipt control for questionnaires received at the contractor's headquarters was done
by passing a bar code reader over the bar code on the front of each questionnaire. In a few cases
where the respondent had altered, removed, or damaged the existing bar code, it was necessary to
type in the correct ID number assigned to the respondent. After 50 ID numbers had been entered,
a batch sheet was printed. The batch sheet had a batch ID number, the date, the code reader's
initials, and a listing of all the ID numbers in that batch. The batch sheet was then attached to the
questionnaires and the completed batch was sent to Key Entry for keying. The questionnaires
were then keyed and 100 percent verified to minimize key entry errors.
Coding and editing were accomplished by the use of COED, a computer software
system developed by the contractor for preparing and analyzing data for survey research studies
using predesigned survey forms. After the data were key entered, an edit report was generated for
each batch keyed. The coding staff reviewed the edit report, corrected any errors, and submitted
the corrections to key entry to update the data files. This cycle of review was repeated three times.
At various stages in the editing, the coding staff found responses that were not one of the response
options provided in the questionnaire. In these instances, they would fill out a problem card for
the supervisor, which the supervisor would review and assign a code. The file was then updated
with the new code. The problem cards were filed by question number, making it possible to
identify which questions were answered with a faulty response. If a "faulty" response was received
often enough that it appeared to be a standard response, then it was added to the list of acceptable
responses.
A review of the database resulted in finding and resolving various editing problems.
This review indicated that there were 18 respondents whose symptom matrix was blank. That is,
the respondent did not answer any part of Question 7 in Part II of the questionnaire. All 18
questionnaires were reviewed. It was discovered that these respondents had also failed to answer
substantial portions of other parts of the questionnaire. It was decided to delete these 18 cases
from the database.
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In Question 4b, Part I (number of hours spent in building during a typical day), there
were instances where the respondent indicated a response that was outside of an acceptable range.
A formula was created to make the response fall within the acceptable range. Specifically, when
the reported hours exceeded 16, the reported hours were divided by five, under the assumption
that the respondent had interpreted the question to be about hours per week instead of hours per
day. The same problem occurred with Questions 5, 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d and 9e, and had similar
resolutions.
If a respondent reported having worked in the building before it was built, (Question
3a, 4a Part I), the response was changed to be no longer than the building's age.
In Question 7, Part II, there were instances when the respondent did not answer the
first question for a particular symptom, but did go on and answer the second and third questions
for that symptom. In each case, we imputed the response to the first part of the question as
"rarely". Also, if the respondent answered "never" to the last year part, but for last week indicated
one or more days, the response to last year was changed to "rarely". If a respondent failed to
answer some symptoms in question 7 Part II, but responded to others, the missing symptoms were
coded as "never".
For Question 5a in Part m there were instances when the respondent indicated
"never", but went on to 5b and checked a response. For these cases, the response at 5a was
changed to "sometimes".
There were instances where the respondent either failed to indicate or incompletely
indicated a room number in Question 5a, Part V. In these instances, the room number from the
EPA locater file was used in place of the respondent's response.
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4. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING METHODOLOGY
This chapter summarizes the environmental monitoring research component of the
indoor air quality study at EPA headquarters. The summary includes a discussion of the methods
used to select the monitoring sites (Section 4.1); the environmental monitoring design (Section
4.2); the methods followed in collecting air measurements (Section 4.3); and the supplemental
employee questionnaire administered in conjunction with the monitoring (Section 4.4). The
monitoring methodology will be presented in greater detail in Volume II of the study report.
Volume II will also report on the monitoring data.
4.1 Selection of Environmental Monitoring Sites
During the week after the administration of the comprehensive employee survey, a
preliminary analysis of the questionnaires was performed in order to rank each room within the
Waterside Mall complex by prevalence of health symptoms and thermal comfort complaints, and
by number of occupants. Rooms with a high prevalence and those with a low prevalence of
symptom or thermal comfort complaints were then provisionally selected for environmental
monitoring. Those provisionally selected rooms which had a greater number of occupants were
then selected for monitoring.
The specifics entailed in this selection protocol are presented below, first for health
symptoms and then for thermal comfort.
Health Symptom Scores
a. Even though all employees were included in the survey, the data used for site
selection was limited to employees who reported working at their workstations
four or more hours a day, on average.
b. Symptoms were counted as positive if the following three criteria were met:
1. reported to occur at least "often" in the past year;
2. reported to occur at least 1 day in the past week; and
3. reported to get better when away from work.
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c. Of the 33 symptoms listed in the questionnaire, 19 were grouped into the
following four categories:
Nasal: runny nose, stuffy nose or sinus congestion, sneezing.
Respiratory: cough, wheezing or whistling in chest, shortness of breath, chest
tightness.
Mucous Membrane: dry, itching, or tearing eyes, sore or strained eyes, burning
eyes, sore throat, hoarseness, dry throat, problems with contact lenses.
Non-Specific: headache, unusual fatigue or tiredness, dizziness or
lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty remembering things.
d. For each of the four symptom categories, if any symptom was positive (from b.
above), then the symptom score for that category equaled 1. If no symptom
within the category was positive, then the symptom score was 0.
e. The total symptom score for each individual was calculated by summing the
scores of each of the four symptom categories. The possible range of scores
then was from 0 (no symptom category) to 4 (all symptom categories).
f. For each room in the building, the mean health symptom score was calculated
by summing the total symptom scores and dividing the total by the number of
respondents in the room.
Thermal Comfort Scores
a. A comfort score was computed for each of the four thermal comfort factors ~
temperature, air movement, humidity and stuffiness. A score of 1 was given if
there was "too much" or "too little" of a thermal comfort factor "often" or
"always" in the previous week, with a score of 0 otherwise. These were added to
obtain a "last week" thermal comfort score that ranged from 0 (no factors) to 4
(all thermal comfort factors).
b. A "last year" score was calculated by giving a 1 if any of the four factors
occurred "too much" or "too little" "often" or "always" in the last year, and 0
otherwise.
c. The "last year" and "last week" scores were then added to obtain a thermal
comfort scale with values from 0 to 5.
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Combined Scores
a. Two z scores were calculated, one for the mean symptom scores in each room,
and one for the mean thermal comfort scores in each room:
(Xi-X)(ni)V2
si
where:
Xj = mean symptom or comfort score for Room i
X = overall mean symptom or comfort score (all rooms)
n; = number of eligible respondents in Room i
sj = sample standard deviation of individual scores in Room i
If n; equaled 1, the building-wide standard error estimate was substituted for sj
in the denominator. Similarly, if the variance of the mean symptom or comfort
score was 0, i.e., all persons in a given room had the same score, then s{ was set
equal to 0.35 (which is half the standard deviation if half the people had the
same score and the other half had a score one unit above or below that score).
b. Rooms were grouped into two size categories: one occupant, and 2 or more
occupants. Within each room size category, the symptom and comfort z scores
were separately ranked in order of magnitude.
c. The following rooms were examined:
1. The 48 rooms with the highest symptom scores (z scores above + 1.0) and
two or more occupants (These 48 rooms included rooms with high,
medium and low comfort scores);
2. The 3 rooms with one occupant and with the highest symptom and
thermal scores; and
3. The 24 rooms with the lowest symptom and comfort scores (z scores
below -1.0) and with two or more occupants.
d. Each room chosen on these criteria was then visited by a team of industrial
hygienists to assess its appropriateness for sampling. Depending on its size and
layout, one or two areas within each room were selected and designated for
sampling.
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4-2 Environmental Monitoring Research Design
More than 120 potential monitoring locations from the various EPA buildings were
identified and prioritized by building using the initial employee survey results. These locations
represented both symptom and non-symptom areas in a ratio of 2:1. From these locations, three
types of monitoring sites were identified:
• temporal sites, at which direct, instantaneous measurements were collected at
one or more points in time;
• integrated sites, at which an integrated sample was collected over an entire
workday, in addition to temporal measurements; and
• two fixed sites, one indoor and one outdoor, at which both integrated and
temporal measurements were made each workday throughout the entire week.
A total of about 100 temporal and 50 integrated sampling sites were identified, with
the integrated sample sites also being temporal sites. Sample collection occurred during normal
employee working hours (between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm) during the week of March 6-10, 1989. On
a typical day, samples were collected at the fixed indoor, fixed outdoor, up to 10 integrated indoor,
and up to 20 temporal indoor monitoring locations.
Five categories of samples were collected each day:
a. temporal measurements of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, temperature,
relative humidity, and respirable particles were made at each temporal and
fixed site three times daily (morning, midday, and afternoon);
b. integrated 8-9 hour samples for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nicotine,
formaldehyde, and respirable particles were collected at each integrated and
fixed sample location;
c. viable and non-viable microbiological agents were also collected at each
integrated and fixed sample location as well as various locations within the
corresponding air handling systems supporting the monitoring locations;
d. samples of aldehydes (2 per day) and pesticides (1 per day) were collected at
selected integrated locations; and
e.
ventilation parameters (air flow, percent outside air, etc.) were measured for
the primary air handling systems for the areas being monitored.
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Exhibit 4-1 summarizes the environmental parameters monitored and the analytical
methods used. Temporal parameters were measured using direct read-out instruments.
Paniculate matter was collected on 37 mm preweighed Teflon, filter media. VOCs, aldehyde, and
pesticide samples were collected on evacuated electro-polished canisters, 2,4-
dinitrophenylhydrazine coated silica-gel cartridges, and polyurethane foam cartridges, respectively.
Formaldehyde and nicotine were collected at the monitoring stations using passive badges.
Gravimetric analysis of the particle samples followed standard EPA procedures.
VOC samples were initially analyzed via gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for
targeted organic compounds, followed by a measurement of total non-methane hydrocarbons using
gas chromatography - flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Pesticide samples were analyzed by
gas chromatography - electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and GC-MS, while aldehydes were
analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Nicotine samples were analyzed via
GC equipped with a nitrogen-selective detector.
Samples for viable microbiological agents (fungi, thermophylic actinomycetes, and
other bacteria) were collected at each integrated location using a single-stage impactor. The
particles, impacted onto an appropriate medium, were thermally conditioned and grown to a size
at which they could be counted. Non-viable samples (fungal spores) were collected over a 24-hour
period at selected locations using a spore trap. Water samples were collected at HVAC systems.
These samples were serially diluted, plated onto growth media, and incubated under appropriate
temperatures to a size at which they could be counted.
43 Air Measurement Methods
This section describes the methods used to obtain air flow measurements at
Waterside Mall during the week of March 6, 1989, through March 10, 1989. The air flow
measurement results were obtained using methods recommended in the National Standards of the
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Exhibit 4-1. Environmental Monitoring Methodology
Analyte
Sample collection
Analytical method
Carbon dioxide,
Carbon monoxide
Temperature (°F), and
relative humidity
Viable
microbiological agents
Non-viable
microbiological agents
VOCs*
Respirable particles
Aldehydes
Pesticides
Nicotine
Direct measurement
Direct measurement
Impaction onto agar
Impaction onto
greased tape
Evacuated canister
Impaction & Direct
Measurement
Coated silica gel
Polyurethane
foam cartridge
Coated filter
(passive)
Infrared analyzer
Psychrometer
Incubation,
colony count
Spore count
GC-MS , FID
Gravimetric/
Light Scattering
HPLC*
GC-ECD*/GC-MS*
GC-nitrogen
specific detector
VOCs, volatile organic compounds
GC, gas chromatography
MS, mass spectrometry
FID, flame ionization detector
HPLC, high pressure liquid chromatography
BCD, electron capture detector
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Associated Air Balance Council (AABC). These standards are universally accepted as the most
rational method for obtaining accurate data. Specific procedures followed were as follows:
Air Handling Units (AHUs) were inspected to determine the most representative
location for velocity traverses. These locations are typically at the end of a long, straight duct run,
prior to fittings, and as far as possible from the AHU fan. Holes were drilled in ducts for the
velocity probe. The holes were drilled at a maximum of 8 inches on center, and smaller distances
in the case of narrow ducts (under 24" wide). The minimum number of traverse points (number of
traverse holes multiplied by the number of measurements per traverse hole) was 25.
The equipment used for velocity measurement was a 5/16 inch diameter pitot static
probe (complying with American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) specifications) and a high precision digital manometer. The pitot tube was
configured to give velocity pressure measurements. The total pressure port of the pitot tube was
connected to the high pressure side of the manometer, and the static pressure port of the pitot
tube was connected to the low pressure side of the manometer. The velocity pressure readings
were made at each traverse point. The first and last readings in the traverse were taken at a
distance of 1/2 the centerline distance between the internal readings, as recommended by AABC.
The area of the duct is based on measurements of outside duct dimension, correcting
for internal lining or external thermal insulation. Air flow, in cubic feet per minute (CFM), is
determined by simple multiplication of the average velocity, in feet per minute (FPM), by the duct
sectional open area, in square feet (SF). Average velocity was determined by first converting
individual velocity pressure measurements to velocity, using the expression:
V = 4,005 x (Vp) exp(0.5)
where:
V = Velocity, feet per minute
Vp - Velocity pressure, inches water column
Because of the near sea level elevation of the three buildings, no pressure correction
factors were needed to account for air density differences. The air temperature correction factors
published in the AABC National Standards were applied to the velocity measurements, however.
Average velocity was the arithmetic average of all the corrected velocity readings for the traverses.
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At certain large return air and mixed air plenums (particularly at the East and West
Tower units), pitot traverses were impractical. Velocities were measured in these locations using a
digital vane anemometer.
In some cases, there were no acceptable velocity traverse locations, primarily due to
excessive turbulence in the air stream. In these cases, the dry bulb temperature method was relied
upon for determination of ratio of outdoor air in the supply air stream. This ratio can be
calculated using the following expression:
Tdbra - Tdbma
%OA= xlOO
Tdbra - Tdboa
where:
%OA = Outdoor air percentage in AHU supply air
Tdbra = Dry bulb temperature of return air to AHU
Tdbma = Dry bulb temperature of mixed (return and outdoor) air to the AHU
Tdboa = Dry bulb temperature of outdoor air to AHU
The dry bulb temperature measurements were taken using a thermistor type
temperature meter. Because of the relatively slow response time of this probe, it was allowed to
"soak" in the air stream being measured for at least 5 minutes prior to reading data. This probe
was kept in a conditioned environment when not actively used for data gathering, to minimize the
lag in response. The measurement location for the temperature probe was selected to be as
representative as possible. In the case of the mixed air, the most distant location from the point of
air stream mixing was selected.
4.4 Supplemental Questionnaire
A short follow-up questionnaire was designed to be administered to individuals
located near to the environmental monitoring stations on the day of testing. The purpose of the
questionnaire was to assess health and comfort status during the same period the environmental
parameters were being measured. This questionnaire is provided in Appendix B.
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The supplemental questionnaire is comprised of four sections:
1. Description of Workstation: These questions assess the amount of time an
individual has been in the building and at his or her workstation on the day of
testing, as well as the amount of time spent at tasks such as photocopying and
working at video display terminals. In order to interpret some of the
environmental measurements, individuals were also asked about the use of
certain chemicals and processes in their work area.
2. Information about Workstation Conditions: These questions from the original
questionnaire were slightly modified to assess an individual's perception of air
movement, temperature, humidity, noise, and levels of stuffiness and dustiness.
These perceptions were obtained from respondents separately for morning and
afternoon periods in order to be correlated with environmental parameters
measured throughout the day. Individuals were also asked about their
perception of a variety of odors at their workstation during the day.
3. Information about Health: Individuals were asked to report on the occurrence
of the same health symptoms included on the original questionnaire. For each
reported symptom, respondents were asked if it occurred before arriving at
work, during the morning while at work, or during the afternoon at work. This
information was used both to assess the degree to which the symptom was
directly work-related and to compare with other environmental parameters
measured throughout the day.
4. Mood: A list of mood states was presented and respondents were asked to
report whether they felt each mood "not at all" (scale position 1) to "extremely"
(scale position 5). The 24 items were selected from the Profile of Mood States
to assess fatigue, vigor, and tension states that could be affected by the quality
of indoor air and other working conditions.1
Administration of the Supplemental Questionnaire
The procedure for administration of the supplemental questionnaire was dependent
on the selection of monitoring sites as described above. Employees were eligible to receive the
second questionnaire if they met the following criteria:
1. Their workstation was within 30 feet of the sampling station;
2. Their workstation was in an area not separated from the sampling station by a
wall or other ceiling to floor barrier.
!D.M. McNatr, M. Lorr, and L.F. Droppleman (1971), 'Profile of Mood States," P.O.M.S. San Diego, CA: Education and Industrial
Testing Service.
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A total of 369 employees completed the supplemental questionnaire at Waterside
Mall, 42 at Crystal Mall, and 68 at the Fairchild Building. During the morning of the monitoring,
employees due to receive the second questionnaire were identified and asked to participate in the
monitoring segment of the study. They were given a brief description of the study and an official
request to participate (see Exhibit 4-2). They were told that their area was to be monitored that
day and that the survey staff would return at about 1:00 p.m. to distribute questionnaires which
would record how they felt that day.
Employees who were not at their desks in the morning were left a notice telling them
that the survey staff would return in the afternoon with the questionnaire. For individuals who
were not at their desk when the survey staff returned in the afternoon, a questionnaire was left
with instructions, with the completed form to be left on their desks in the accompanying sealed
envelopes. These questionnaires were picked up around three in the afternoon. As many trips as
were necessary were made to the workstations to collect all the questionnaires, whether completed
or not by the end of the day. The receipt of the questionnaires was recorded and the
questionnaires were sent to the health statistics contractor for processing.
Individuals were requested to provide their names on the front cover of the
questionnaire, so that information from the supplemental questionnaire could be linked to the
responses from the original questionnaire. As with all other personal information gathered in this
study, confidentiality of these questionnaires was assured and maintained.
Survey Data Preparation
When the questionnaires were received by the contractor, the names on the covers
were matched with a list of all employees containing their names, workstation locations and the
identification numbers assigned in the main survey. When a match was found, a label with a bar
code for the ID was attached to the top of the inside first page. The cover with the name was then
detached from the questionnaire. Receipt control was completed by reading the bar code on the
questionnaire, in the same manner described in Section 3.5.
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Exhibit 4-2: Supplemental Survey Description and Participation Request
/ Indoor Air Quality & Work Environment Study
Follow-Up Survey
EPA HEADQUARTERS
Evaluation of the Workplace Environment
March 6 -10,1989
Dear EPA Employee:
Today Yale University and EPA scientists are conducting measurements of air quality in
your work area. They are performing similar measurements throughout EPA headquarters this
week. These measurements are being taken at areas selected by Yale and Westat investigators,
through an analysis of the responses to the questionnaire we distributed two to three weeks ago.
The presence of monitoring equipment in your area does not imply that there is an environmental
problem in your area. That determination cannot be made until all of the study data has been
analyzed.
As pan of the environmental assessment of your work area. Westat is asking the employees
in the immediate vicinity of the monitoring equipment to complete a brief questionnaire regarding
how they fed TODAY.
LATER THIS AFTERNOON (between IdX) and 3:00), a Westat representative will return to
give you a questionnaire. At that doe, please spend a few minutes to complete it. Please place it
in the return envelope provided and seal It. The Westat representative will return a short time
afterwards to collect it from you. IT yon will not be in your work area when the Westat
representative returns, please leave the questionnaire on your desk.
Your completed questionnaire will be processed and analyzed by Westat and Yale
investigators and WILL NOT BE SEEN BY ANY EPA EMPLOYEE.
We appreciate your participation in this important component of the Indoor Air Quality and
Work Environment Survey of EPA headquarters. If you have any questions regarding (he survey,
please call the Westat survey hotline at 294-2845.
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The questionnaires were keyed by the contractor, and were 100 percent verified to
minimize key entry errors. The coding and editing was accomplished in a manner similar to the
main questionnaire. (See Section 3.5.) The data file was reviewed and edited to identify and
resolve data errors. With this short, pre-coded questionnaire, the only possible data problems
were out-of-range codes.
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5. EMPLOYEE SURVEY RESULTS
This chapter describes the findings of the employee survey conducted at the three
EPA headquarters buildings. The primary focus of the chapter is on the health symptoms reported
in the survey (Section 5.2) and on problems of comfort with the work environment (Section 5.3).
The data in these two sections are presented for each headquarters building, and for the six
building sectors in Waterside Mall identified in Chapter 3. It is recognized that not all buildings or
building sectors have the same ventilation systems, environmental conditions, or types of
employees or job classifications. More complete consideration of these potential risk factors will
be presented in Volume III.
Following this presentation, Section 5.4 then summarizes the data collected in the
survey on four sets of "background" variables ~ (a) the demographics of the respondents (age,
gender, education, etc.), (b) certain general health characteristics (such as use of corrective lenses,
medical history of asthma, etc.), (c) job satisfaction and sources of job stress, and (d) physical
characteristics of employees' workstations. Each of these background characteristics could prove
useful in understanding or explaining the survey results when subsequent multivariate analyses of
the data are conducted. Finally, Section 5.5 summarizes responses volunteered by employees to
the "essay question" at the end of the questionnaire; here, respondents had the opportunity to
describe building conditions and their experiences in their own words. To focus attention on the
main findings, only selected exhibits are presented in this chapter. Additional exhibits referred to
in this chapter are included in Appendix C.
5.1 Note on Data Presentation
No attempt is made in this chapter to explore associations between health or comfort
outcomes and possible risk factors in the buildings. The data are presented below without
accompanying analyses or conclusions about the causes of symptoms experienced or the degree to
which the findings are "significant" compared to other buildings. In addition, it is important to
note that the health symptoms and comfort concerns reported in the survey are self-reported by
the respondents, and have not been verified by a physician's diagnosis as part of this study.
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The primary reason for this approach is to avoid speculating on the causes of
occupant concerns or the significance of the results presented until a complete analysis can be
conducted. Multivariate analyses of associations are complex and require a lengthy and more
detailed set of calculations. Volume HI of this study will present such analyses (including
monitoring results).
The tables of data presented in this chapter do compare the three EPA buildings, and
in some cases, compare sectors within Waterside Mall. However, the buildings are considered as
separate entities and do not serve as controls for each other. In other words, if results at all three
buildings are roughly similar on any given question, this does not necessarily mean that all three
buildings fall within some type of "normal" range.
As noted in Chapter 3, the overall response rate across all three buildings was 81
percent, with 3,955 of the estimated total of 4,900 EPA employees completing the survey. A
maximum of 3,095 employees responded in Waterside Mall on any given question, out of a total of
3,770 (82%); in Crystal Mall, a maximum of 451 employees completed the survey (79% of an
estimated 568); and in Fairchild, a maximum of 409 employees responded (73% of an estimated
562). Because not all respondents answered each question, many of the exhibits specify the
number of employees responding to the particular question at hand. The impact of nonresponse
on the survey results will be addressed in Volume III of this study.
5.2 Health Symptoms
In order to identify health outcomes that might be related to conditions in the three
EPA buildings, major emphasis is given here to a series of questions on 32 health symptoms that
comes from Part II, Question 7 of the questionnaire (excerpted below). Respondents were asked
to report how often they had experienced each symptom in the last year, how many days they had
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experienced the symptom in the previous week, and whether the symptom typically changes when
not at work:
7. Please answer the three questions
to the right about Men symptom
listed below, svsn H you believe
ttw symptom Is not related to tha
building.
(For each symptom, answer the first
question. If the response is "never,"
go down to the next symptom.)
PIMM Indicate how often
during the LAST YEAR
you have experienced this
symptom while working
In this building.
Soow-
flinty tun** Ofl»n Mwiyi
d. stuffy nose/sinus congestion
PIMM indicate I DOM the
how many daya | symptom usually
LAST WEEK you change when
experienced this not at work?
symptom while
working in this
building.
(Fill In No. of days)
G*n Stay* G*u
Worw Sam* Bout
ODD
It should be remembered that responses to these questions are based on self-
perceptions of health and environmental conditions, which might not be verified by independent
professional health experts or environmental scientists. In other words, like responses in other
surveys, they are subject to the same types of limitations of human reporting due to faulty memory,
incomplete recall and even distortion. At the same time, these are the types of perceptions that
affect the way employees interpret their work environment and function in that environment.
Respondents are, in other words, in an ideal position to report on their work environment and how
it may affect their health and comfort.
52.1
Major Health Symptoms Experienced Last Year
Because most of the 32 symptoms are experienced by most people at some time, a
symptom was considered in the tables that follow only if it was reported to have occurred either
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"often" or "always" in the past year. Exhibit 5-la shows the number and percentage of all
respondents in each building who experienced each symptom "often" or "always" in the past year.
(The complete tabulation of responses to this question is shown in Appendix C, Exhibits C-la
through C-lc.)
As Exhibit 5-la shows, the symptoms reported to occur frequently are roughly similar
across the three buildings ~ contact lens problems (for contact lens wearers), stuffy nose, dry/itchy
skin, dry/itching/tearing eyes, sore/strained eyes, headache, fatigue, and sleepiness. Differences
do occur, however, across the buildings; for example, Waterside Mall respondents are more likely
to report dry/itching eyes, dry throat, chills, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and dry/itchy skin,
than respondents at the other two buildings.
Larger and more consistent differences are found within the six sectors of Waterside
Mall, as shown in Appendix C, Exhibit C-2. In general, respondents located on the 2nd and 3rd
floors of the Mall and Southeast Mall report 3 to 10 percentage point higher rates of "often" or
"always" experiencing certain symptoms, including headache, stuffy nose, coughing, dry eyes, sore
eyes, double vision, burning eyes, fatigue, dry throat, contact lens problems, and dry/itchy skin.
To obtain a more focused perspective of health symptom problems, the concept of
"cases" was used. Each case represents an employee who reported experiencing a health symptom
"often" or "always" last year and whose health symptom reportedly got better when the employee
left work. The use of the term case is intended to focus on employee symptoms that are recurring
rather than occasional and that appear to be connected in some way to the building (in that
respondents report that the symptom improves after leaving the building). This definition is
similar to definitions of work-related symptoms used in previous studies.1*2
'Finnigan, JJ., et al. The Sick Building Syndrome: Prevalence Studies", British Medical Journal, 8 Dec 1984, pages L57M575.
2Skov, p., Valhjom, O., and Pedersen, V., 'Influence of Personal Characteristics, Job-related Factors and Psychosocial Factors on the Sick
Building Syndrome*, Scandanavian Journal of Work Environment and Health, 1989,15; 286-295.
-------
Exhibit 5-la:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Symptoms Often or Always Last
Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOMS
Headache
Nausea
Runny Nose
Stuffy Nose
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Chest Tightness
Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
Sore/Strained Eyes
Blurry/Double Vision
Burning Eyes
Sore Throat
Hoarseness
Dry Throat
Unusual Fatigue
Sleepiness
Chills
Fever
Aching Muscles
Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
Difficulty Remembering Things
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
Feeling Depressed
Tension or Nervousness
Difficulty Concentrating
Dry or Itchy Skin
Pain in Upper Back
Pain in Lower Back
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Pain in Hands or Wrist 1V
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
650
64
533
960
339
254
74
120
80
672
647
204
387
225
141
425
643
609
184
23
321
212
196
136
262
400
310
687
331
383
326
164
Percent
21%
2%
17%
31%
11%
8%
2%
4%
3%
22%
21%
7%
13%
7%
5%
14%
21%
20%
6%
1%
10%
34%
6%
4%
9%
13%
10%
22%
11%
13%
11%
5%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
73
9
75
135
45
37
15
15
12
79
68
19
46
25
14
38
89
96
7
5
54
17
23
10
40
66
38
76
48
57
42
25
Percent
16%
2%
17%
30%
10%
8%
3%
3%
3%
18%
15%
4%
10%
6%
3%
9%
20%
21%
2%
1%
12%
24%
5%
2%
9%
15%
9%
17%
11%
13%
9%
6%
FAIRCfflLD
Number
80
9
70
122
55
32
12
14
14
73
87
25
49
23
10
42
66
70
10
2
20
27
13
9
25
40
26
74
39
37
35
12
Percent
20%
2%
17%
30%
13%
8%
3%
3%
3%
18%
21%
6%
12%
6%
2%
10%
16%
17%
2%
0%
5%
31%
3%
2%
6%
10%
6%
18%
10%
9%
9%
3%
These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II, Question
l.a), as opposed to aU respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-5
-------
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
As Exhibit 5-lb shows, the highest percentage of cases were reported for the same top
seven symptoms across all three buildings (although ranked in different orders in each building):
headache
stuffy nose/sinus congestion
dry, itching, or tearing eyes
sore/strained eyes
unusual fatigue or tiredness
sleepiness or drowsiness
contact lens problems (for contact lens wearers)
Each of these symptoms was experienced often or always by at least 10 percent of respondents and
was reported to improve after the employee left work.3 Most of these symptoms, most notably
headache, fatigue, and those associated with mucous membrane irritation, have often been
reported in published evaluations of indoor air quality.
It is, of course, possible that employees may suffer building-related symptoms that
nevertheless persist, or even first appear, after the employee leaves work. Some symptoms, most
notably pain in the back, neck, shoulders, hands or wrists, and symptoms possibly associated with
delayed hypersensitivity reactions, such as wheezing and shortness of breath, even if work-related,
may be expected not to improve when away from the building. In addition, some individuals may
develop an immune response after exposure to certain substances encountered at work.
Subsequent exposure to even very small amounts of these substances, whether at work or not, can
then trigger an allergic response. Such symptoms might, therefore, not be expected to improve
when away from work among this group of individuals.
Furthermore, employees may experience symptoms only "sometimes" that are
nevertheless related to the building (for example, persons may be sensitive to paint fumes but may
only "sometimes" be exposed to new paint near their workstations). Using the concept of a case
may be considered by some as constituting a conservative estimate of health symptom problems.
Therefore, for comparison, Exhibit 5-2a is provided, which shows the number and percent of
responding employees reporting symptoms "sometimes", "often", or "always" last year. Similarly,
figures in Exhibit 5-lb are derived as follows: For the first entry in Exhibit C-la, for example, 91% of Waterside Mall respondents
(2310 out of 3,082 responding) reported that they had experienced headaches in the previous year - either rarely, sometimes, often, or
always. Of these, 21% (or 650) experienced headaches often or always (Exhibit 5-la). Of the 650, 478 (or 74%) also reported their
headaches improved when they were not in the building (Exhibit 5-12). These 478 "cases" were then considered in relation to the total
number of Waterside respondents (3,082). Dividing 478 by 3,082 gives the figure of 16% reported in Exhibit 5-lb.
5-6
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-lb: Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always Last Year and
that Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
16%
1%
8%
16%
7%
4%
1%
2%
2%
17%
16%
4%
10%
4%
3%
10%
15%
15%
5%
1%
4%
28%
2%
3%
5%
10%
7%
6%
6%
6%
6%
2%
CRYSTAL
MALL
11%
1%
9%
17%
7%
5%
1%
1%
1%
12%
12%
3%
8%
3%
2%
7%
14%
19%
1%
1%
4%
19%
2%
2%
5%
11%
6%
4%
6%
6%
5%
2%
FAIRCfflLD
16%
1%
7%
15%
8%
4%
2%
2%
2%
15%
18%
5%
11%
4%
1%
9%
11%
13%
2%
0%
2%
27%
2%
1%
4%
8%
5%
6%
6%
4%
5%
2%
'These percentages are based upon ontv the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II,
Question l.a), as opposed to a]J respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-7
-------
Exhibit 5-2a:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Symptoms Sometimes, Often or
Always Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOMS
Headache
Nausea
Runny Nose
Stuffy Nose
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Chest Tightness
Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
Sore/Strained Eyes
Blurry/Double Vision
Burning Eyes
Sore Throat
Hoarseness
Dry Throat
Unusual Fatigue
Sleepiness
Chills
Fever
Aching Muscles
Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
Difficulty Remembering Things
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
Feeling Depressed
Tension or Nervousness
Difficulty Concentrating
Dry or Itchy Skin
Pain in Upper Back
Pain in Lower Back
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Pain in Hands or Wrist
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
1,942
459
1,684
2,024
1,532
1,196
306
460
367
1,565
1,623
582
1,134
1,103
644
1,164
1,657
1,839
737
307
983
443
888
736
1,042
1,439
1,287
1,469
981
1,194
888
490
Percent
63%
15%
55%
66%
50%
39%
10%
15%
12%
51%
53%
19%
37%
36%
21%
38%
54%
60%
24%
10%
32%
71%
29%
24%
34%
47%
42%
48%
32%
39%
29%
16%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
239
62
227
277
214
169
49
62
58
205
223
76
147
143
80
160
227
260
54
31
139
36
130
72
148
215
174
179
134
161
121
71
Percent
53%
14%
51%
62%
48%
38%
11%
14%
13%
46%
50%
17%
33%
32%
18%
36%
51%
58%
12%
7%
31%
51%
29%
16%
33%
48%
39%
40%
30%
36%
27%
16%
FAIRCfflLD
Number
241
53
198
269
196
151
37
45
49
200
220
85
134
114
69
138
204
237
73
28
110
53
' r77
61
118
163
150
162
126
146
114
53
Percent
59%
13%
49%
66%
48%
37%
9%
11%
12%
49%
54%
21%
33%
28%
17%
34%
50%
58%
18%
7%
27%
60%
19%
15%
"** 29%l
40% j
37% 1
40%
, - ;
36%
28%
' 113%
'These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II, Question
La), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-8
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-2b provides the percent of all respondents who had symptoms "sometimes", "often", or
"always" last year that got better upon leaving work.
Exhibit 5-3 shows corresponding data for the six sectors of Waterside Mall. The same
symptoms receive the most reports of cases. Again, the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Mall and the
Southeast Mall report the highest percentages of problems, with 20 percent or more respondents
reporting cases of stuffy nose/sinus congestion (3rd floor Mall); dry, itching, or tearing eyes (2nd
floor Mall and Southeast mall); sore/strained eyes (2nd floor Mall); and sleepiness or drowsiness
(Southeast Mall).
This information can be viewed another way in Exhibits 5-4 through 5-6 which group
the symptoms into three categories:
1. Indoor Air Quality Symptoms (Exhibit 5-4), typically associated with acute
discomfort, such as headache, runny nose, stuffy nose/sinus congestion, dry,
itching, or tearing eyes, burning eyes, dry throat, fatigue, and sleepiness;
2. Respiratory or Flu-like Symptoms (Exhibit 5-5), which may be manifested in
clinically defined illnesses that may require prolonged recovery times after
leaving the building. Such symptoms include cough, wheezing, shortness of
breath, chest tightness, fever, and aching muscles or joints; and
3. Ergonomic Symptoms (Exhibit 5-6), which include back pain or stiffness, and
pain or numbness in the shoulder, neck, hands, or wrists.
In each exhibit, the average for Waterside Mall as a whole forms the basis of
comparison for each of the Waterside sectors. Thus, for example, if a sector reported two percent
variation for headaches, that would mean that respondents in that sector experienced a rate of
headache cases 2 percent greater than the building as a whole, namely 16 percent plus 2 percent
equals 18 percent. Negative percents in these exhibits indicate a lower than building average
percentage of cases, while positive percentages indicate a higher than average level of cases. (Note
that the rows do not sum across to zero because of different numbers of respondents in the six
sectors.)
5-9
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-2b:
Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Sometimes, Often or Always
Last Year and that Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by EPA Headquarters
Building
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
41%
10%
20%
29%
22%
14%
4%
7%
6%
35%
37%
12%
27%
14%
10%
23%
34%
41%
16%
4%
10%
47%
10%
15%
19%
32%
27%
12%
16%
16%
14%
7%
CRYSTAL
MALL
30%
7%
18%
26%
20%
12%
3%
5%
12%
29%
35%
8%
22%
12%
6%
18%
32%
42%
10%
3%
7%
38%
8%
17%
17%
33%
27%
11%
14%
15%
12%
6%
FAIRCHBLD
42%
19%
15%
29%
20%
12%
2%
6%
6%
34%
40%
14%
27%
11%
8%
23%
32%
40%
11%
3%
9%
46%
8%
9%
15%
28%
23%
11%
18%
19%
16%
7%
*These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always'' (Part II,
Question l.a), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-10
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-3: Percent of All Respondents Who Had Symptoms Often or Always Last Year and that
Got Better Upon Leaving Work, by Sector in Waterside Mall
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/Ugh theadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
14%
1%
7%
15%
6%
4%
1%
1%
1%
14%
15%
4%
9%
3%
3%
8%
12%
13%
2%
4%
3%
24%
2%
3%
5%
9%
6%
6%
4%
4%
4%
2%
WEST
TOWER
13%
1%
9%
13%
7%
5%
1%
2%
1%
15%
14%
4%
10%
3%
3%
9%
15%
14%
5%
0%
4%
25%
2%
2%
5%
10%
6%
6%
8%
7%
5%
2%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
18%
1%
9%
16%
7%
6%
1%
3%
3%
21%
22%
7%
13%
7%
5%
15%
17%
18%
5%
0%
5%
45%
3%
5%
4%
12%
10%
8%
5%
4%
6%
4%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
19%
2%
10%
21%
8%
6%
2%
3%
2%
18%
18%
3%
11%
5%
3%
12%
17%
17%
5%
1%
5%
38%
3%
4%
5%
10%
10%
8%
7%
6%
7%
2%
NE
MALL
16%
2%
8%
16%
7%
4%
1%
3%
2%
13%
14%
3%
9%
3% -
2%
8%
12%
14%
6%
1%
4%
31%
3%
3%
6%
9%
6%
6%
6%
7%
6%
1%
SE
MALL
18%
14%
8%
16%
6%
2%
2%
2%
2%
20%
19%
3%
10%
9%
4%
14%
15%
20%
4%
5%
6%
29%
1%
4%
5%
12%
10%
5%
4%
6%
4%
2%
*These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II, Question
l.a), as opposed to aj| respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-11
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-4: Variation in Distribution of Cases for Selected Indoor Air Quality Symptoms, by
Waterside Mall Sector
SELECTED
SYMPTOM
Headache
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Burning eyes
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
WATERSIDE
MALL
AVERAGE
16%
8%
16%
17%
10%
10%
15%
15%
AVERAGE
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
-1.7%
-1.8%
-0.9%
-2.2%
-1.4%
-2.1%
-2.3%
-1.8%
-1.8%
WEST
TOWER
-2.6%
0.4%
-2.9%
-1.7%
-0.5%
-1.1%
0.5%
-1.6%
-1.2%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
23%
0.7%
0.1%
4.8%
2.8%
4.6%
2.7%
2.6%
2.6%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
3.6%
1.5%
4.2%
1.7%
0.9%
1.7%
2.8%
2.1%
23%
NE
MALL
-0.0%
-0.4%
-0.5%
-3.4%
-1.0%
-2.1%
-2.6%
-1.0%
-1.4%
SE
MALL
2.4%
-0.9%
-0.4%
3.1%
-03%
3.4%
0.7%
4.7%
1.6%
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-12
-------
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-5: Variation in Distribution of Cases for Respiratory or Flu-like Symptoms, by Waterside
Mall Sector
SELECTED
SYMPTOM
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Fever ,
Aching muscles or joints
WATERSIDE
MALL
AVERAGE
4%
1%
2%
2%
1%
4%
AVERAGE 5
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
-0.8%
-0.6%
-1.0%
-0.2%
3.3%
-1.4%
-0.1%
WEST
TOWER
0.8%
-0.4%
-0.2%
-0.6%
-0.1%
-0.3%
-0.1%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
1.2%
0.1%
0.5%
0.9%
-0.3%
0.9%
0.6%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
1.3%
1.0%
0.8%
0.2%
0.3%
1.0%
0.8%
NE
MALL
-0.4%
0.2%
0.5%
0.0%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
SE
MALL
-2.6%
0.6%
0.2%
0.2%
4.9%
1.6%
0.8%
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-13
-------
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-6: Variation in Distribution of Cases for Ergonomic Symptoms, by Waterside Mall Sector
SELECTED
SYMPTOM
*
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder/
neck
Pain or numbness in hands
or wrists
WATERSIDE
MALL
AVERAGE
6%
6%
6%
2%
AVERAGE
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
-1.8%
-1.1%
-1.4%
-0.4%
-1.2%
WEST
TOWER
1.7%
1.1%
-0.7%
-0.0%
0.5%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
-0.6%
-2.1%
0.8%
1.4%
-0.1%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
0.8%
0.1%
1.9%
0.1%
0.7%
NE
MALL
0.6%
0.9%
0.1%
-1.2%
0.1%
SE
MALL
-1.8%
0.3%
-2.0%
-0.6%
-1.0%
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-14
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
As can be seen from the totals in each of these three exhibits, the 2nd floor Mall 3rd
floor Mall, and Southeast Mall have a higher than average proportion of cases for indoor air
quality symptoms and respiratory or flu-like symptoms. The West Tower and 3rd floor Mall report
the highest number of cases of ergonomic symptoms.
Respondents were asked if there was any seasonal variation in the symptoms they
experienced. Exhibit C-7 displays these data. All three buildings exhibit the same seasonal
relationships. About half of the respondents reported no seasonal variation in their symptoms,
while nearly 40 percent reported that winter was their worst season.
At this time, however, any observed differences in symptom prevalence across
buildings or building sectors cannot be attributed to any environmental factors. A more complete
analysis, which will be reported in Volume HI, will attempt to assess relationships between health
outcomes and environmental measurements, taking into account a variety of other workplace and
personal characteristics that may also be associated with health symptoms.
522 Other Health Symptoms Experienced Last Year
In addition to the 32 symptoms, additional questions were asked of employees about
certain clusters of symptoms. A separate set of questions asked women employees about
gynecological problems. Findings include the following:
• Flu-like symptoms, chest illness, wheezing, and asthma. Exhibit 5-7 shows the
number and percent of respondents reporting flu-like symptoms (such as
wheezing, cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, and aching muscles or joints -
- 25-28%); chest illness (17-24%), and wheezing without fever, sore throat, or
chills (15-17%). Between 3 and 5 percent of respondents suffered asthma
attacks last year. Few differences emerge among the buildings.
• Gynecological Health. The questionnaire asked women to provide information
on issues of gynecological health. Results are reported in Appendix C, Exhibits
C-3 to C-5. The older age profile of female respondents at Crystal is reflected
in their responses to questions relating to pregnancy and menopause. Few
differences appear among the three buildings in terms of respondents' reports
of fibroids, cysts, and enlarged uteri (Exhibit C-5).
5-15
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-7: Number and Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Ever Having Symptom Clusters
Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOM CLUSTER
Flu-Like Symptoms
Chest Illness
Wheezing without Fever
Asthma Attack
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
866
651
465
80
Percent
28%
21%
15%
3%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
119
106
75
21
Percent
27%
24%
17%
5%
FAIRCHILD
Number
101
68
61
15
Percent
25%
17%
15%
4%
Reference: Part II, Questions 12, 13,15 and 16c.
5-16
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
5.2.3 Health Symptoms Experienced Last Week
Respondents were asked on how many days last week they experienced the individual
symptoms while working in the building. This question was thought to provide a more immediate,
and perhaps more accurate, measure of the extent of symptom occurrence since the recall period
was much more recent. In addition, this question was used to select sampling locations. The
results, reported in Exhibit 5-8, show the percentage of respondents experiencing the symptom at
least one day on the previous week among respondents; also shown are the average number of
days respondents experienced the symptom in the last week. These percentages are based upon all
those reporting symptoms whether or not those symptoms improved away from work; therefore,
they are most likely over estimates of work-related symptoms.
In general, the results appear consistent with the relative ranking of symptoms in the
previous year (Exhibit 5-la) although the percentages reporting symptoms are much higher. This
is not surprising, however, since the percentages of symptoms experienced during the past year
represented only those who responded "often" or "always/ Forty percent or more of respondents
in each building reported experiencing headaches, stuffy nose, fatigue, and sleepiness.
Respondents reporting symptoms in the week before the survey indicated an average duration of
the symptom of between two and three days for most symptoms.
Exhibit C-6 shows symptoms reported in the previous week for the Waterside Mall
sectors. Respondents in the 2nd floor of the Mall reported the highest percentage for 14 of the
symptoms, followed by respondents in the Southeast Mall (highest on 10 symptoms), and West
Tower employees (highest on 7 symptoms).
5.2.4 Effects of Health Symptoms on Work
EPA employees were asked to assess the effects of their symptoms on their work.
The data are summarized in Exhibit 5-9. Approximately one third of respondents indicated that
their symptoms reduced their ability to work at least sometimes. Fairchild employees reported
less effect of health symptoms on their work than the other two buildings (28% reported reduced
ability to work sometimes, often, or always during the past year, compared to 38% for Crystal and
36% for Waterside). However, there was little difference among the buildings in the percentage of
5-17
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-8: Percent of All Respondents Reporting One or More Days of Symptom and Average
Symptom Days Last Week, by EPA Headquarters Building
SYMPTOMS
Headache
Nausea
Runny Nose
Stuffy Nose
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Chest Tightness
Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
Sore/Strained Eyes
Blurry/Double Vision
Burning Eyes
Sore Throat
Hoarseness
Dry Throat
Unusual Fatigue
Sleepiness
Chills
Fever
Aching Muscles
Problems w/ Contact Lenses**
Difficulty Remembering Things
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
Feeling Depressed
Tension or Nervousness
Difficulty Concentrating
Dry or Itchy Skin
Pain in Upper Back
Pain in Lower Back
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Pain in Hands or Wrist
WATERSIDE MALL
% 1 + Days*
53%
13%
42%
51%
40%
31%
8%
11%
9%
41%
41%
16%
28%
25%
15%
31%
44%
50%
18%
8%
26%
46%
21%
18%
27%
37%
33%
36%
23%
27%
21%
11%
Avg. Days
2.0
1.7
2.7
2.9
2.3
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.5
2.5
2.2
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.4
2.4
1.9
2.5
2.8
2.4
2.0
2.2
2.3
2.3
3.3
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.6
CRYSTAL MALL
% 1+ Days*
47%
12%
36%
47%
38%
30%
7%
10%
11%
35%
37%
13%
23%
22%
13%
25%
40%
49%
9%
6%
26%
39%
18%
13%
26%
39%
33%
30%
22%
25%
21%
11%
Avg. Days
2.0
1.7
2.8
3.0
2.3
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.4
2.7
2.5
2.6
2.6
2.2
2.5
2.7
2.7
2.6
2.2
2.6
2.7
2.6
2.2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.3
3.2
2.6
2.7
2.6
2.6
FAIRCHILD
%1+ Days*
49%
13%
36%
51%
40%
30%
8%
9%
9%
40%
44%
17%
29%
22%
14%
26%
43%
48%
15%
8%
21%
44%
19%
15%
26%
35%
32%
34%
24%
24%
19%
10%
Avg. Days
2.2
1.6
2.7
2.8
2.4
2.5
3.0
2.4
2.3
2.6
2.6
2.7
2.5
2.1
2.1
2.6
2.5
2.4
2.2
1.9
2.4
2.3
1.9
1.8
2.3
2.4
2.0
3.1
2.6
2.3
2.5
2.6
Based on the total number of responding employees.
*These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work (Part II, Question l.a), as opposed
to ail responding employees.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-18
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-9: Number and Percentage of Responding Employees Indicating Impact of Symptoms on
Abil'ty to Work Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
Symptoms Reduced
Ability to Work
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Symptoms Resulted
In Staying Home or
Leaving Work Early
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
NUMBER
2,999
430
393
2,967
429
387
PERCENT RESPONDING
NEVER
32%
32%
38%
44%
46%
50%
RARELY
32%
31%
34%
30%
28%
28%
SOMETIMES
29%
31%
23%
23%
22%
21%
OFTEN
6%
6%
4%
2%
3%
1%
ALWAYS
1%
1%
1%
*
*
*
'Always' was not a possible answer in Question 9.
Reference: Part II, Questions 8 and 9.
5-19
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
employees who reported that their symptoms resulted in having to stay home or leave work early
sometimes or often in the past year (22-25% at each building). The symptom most often
mentioned as the reason for leaving work early or staying home was headaches (Exhibit C-8).
Within Waterside Mall, more respondents in the 2nd floor Mall, 3rd floor Mall, and Southeast
Mall said that their symptoms reduced their ability to work than did employees in other sectors of
the building (Exhibit C-9).
Perceived Association of Symptoms with Building
Employees were asked whether (a) they associated their health symptoms with
conditions in the building; (b) felt that the conditions had improved over the year; and (c) had
experienced more or less infections, or longer or shorter periods of infection, since working in the
building.
As shown in Exhibit 5-10, 62 percent of Waterside employees associated one or more
of their symptoms with the building they work in, compared to 56 percent of Crystal employees
and 49 percent of Fairchild employees. Once again, within Waterside Mall, employees in the 2nd
floor Mall, 3rd floor Mall, and Southeast Mall perceived a stronger association of their symptoms
with the building than other sectors (Exhibit C-10). Most respondents in all three buildings found
their symptoms neither improved nor worsened over the past year.
Another view of the association between symptoms and buildings is provided by
Exhibit 5-11 which shows how respondents view the connection between their symptoms and the
building. Here, the number of responding employees is the same as in Exhibits 5-1 to 5-6, but the
comparison base is changed to include only employees who suffer from these symptoms often or
always. (The bases are in Exhibit 5-la.) Thus, for example, at Waterside Mall, of respondents who
had headaches often or always last year, 74 percent found their headaches getting better when they
left the building.4 Similarly high percentages are found for other symptoms as well. In each
building, for over half the 32 symptoms, over 60 percent of those who suffer frequently from the
symptom implicitly attribute the symptom to the building.
4In (he case of headaches, 478 employees reported them often or always and also said the symptoms improved outside of work (see
footnote 1 in this section). This number in relation to the total number of 650 employees suffering from headaches often or always is
74%. Other entries in Exhibit 5-12 are calculated in a similar way.
5-20
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-l(h Percentage of Responding Employees Associating Symptoms with Building Last Year, by
EPA Headquarters Building
WATERSIDE MALL
CRYSTAL MALL
FAIRCfflLD
Percent Associating
Symptoms with Building
62%
56%
49%
Symptoms Improved
over the Last Year
11%
8%
8%
Symptoms became Worse
over the Last Year
29%
26%
24%
Symptoms Remained
the Same
60%
66%
68%
Employees Responding
2,922
418
379
Reference: Part II, Question 11.
5-21
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Exhibit 5-11:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of All Respondents Whose Symptoms Get Better Upon Leaving Work,
Among Those Who Have Symptoms Often or Always, by EPA Headquarters
Building
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny nose
Stuffy nose/sinus congestion
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing or whistling in chest
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Dry, itching, or tearing eyes
Sore/strained eyes
Blurry/double vision
Burning eyes
Sore throat
Hoarseness
Dry throat
Unusual fatigue or tiredness
Sleepiness or drowsiness
Chills
Fever
Aching muscles or joints
Problems with contact lenses*
Difficulty remembering things
Dizziness/lightheadedness
Feeling depressed
Tension or nervousness
Difficulty concentrating
Dry or itchy skin
Pain or stiffness in upper back
Pain or stiffness in lower back
Pain or numbness in shoulder /neck
Pain or numbness in hands or wrists
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
74%
67%
48%
51%
59%
52%
50%
52%
63%
75%
77%
70%
80%
60%
71%
73%
69%
75%
76%
74%
39%
82%
36%
72%
59%
75%
73%
29%
54%
44%
52%
44%
CRYSTAL
MALL
67%
56%
53%
54%
67%
57%
20%
40%
33%
68%
79%
74%
78%
52%
79%
79%
69%
86%
43%
80%
30%
65%
43%
70%
60%
71%
71%
24%
58%
47%
55%
28%
FAIRCHILD
71%
44%
41%
48%
58%
50%
58%
71%
71%
84%
84%
76%
90%
65%
60%
90%
70%
74%
90%
50%
45%
67%
77%
67%
60%
80%
81%
34%
64%
49%
60%
58%
*These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Pan II,
Question la), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
5-22
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
As in Exhibit 5-lb, Waterside Mall employees show higher figures than the other two
buildings for headaches, nausea, and contact lens problems. Crystal City employees report higher
figures on runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, cough, hoarseness, sleepiness and fever. For 20 of the
32 symptoms, however, it is the employees at Fairchild (who report symptoms often or always)
who most often report their symptoms getting better when they leave the building.
More Waterside employees than in either of the other two buildings reported that
both the frequency and duration of their infections (e.g., colds, flu, bronchitis, etc.) had increased
since they began work in the building. As Exhibit 5-12 shows, 39 percent of respondents at
Waterside reported more frequent infections (compared to 31% and 23% for Crystal and
Fairchild, respectively), and 36 percent of Waterside respondents reported longer lasting infections
since beginning work in the building (compared to 31% and 23% for Crystal and Fairchild,
respectively).
52.6 Potential Sources of Irritation
Respondents were questioned about nine possible sources of eye, nose, throat, and
respiratory irritation. As Exhibit 5-13 shows, paint and tobacco smoke were mentioned among the
top four sources in all three buildings. At Waterside Mall, fumes from new carpeting, paint, and
tobacco smoke were mentioned as the three leading candidates for cause of irritation. Crystal
respondents were more likely to identify paint fumes, tobacco smoke, and fumes from copy
machines. Fairchild respondents pointed primarily to new carpeting, tobacco smoke, and fumes
from new drapes and paint. (Complete tabulations of responses are shown in Exhibit C-ll. See
also Exhibit C-21 which shows that about 30% of respondents in each building report having a
special sensitivity to eye, nose, throat, or respiratory irritants.)5
Exhibit 5-14 profiles the three most commonly reported sources of irritation at
Waterside Mall, showing the variation by sector. Southeast and both floors of the Mall have the
greatest percentages of employees associating irritation to new carpets and paint. Southeast,
Second Floor Mall and West Tower have the greatest percentages of employees irritated by
5No«e that these exhibits count 'sometimes" responses in addition to 'often' and 'always' responses. This is because of the episodic
nature of many of these irritants. In other words, the causes of irritation may occur relatively infrequently (such as new carpeting) but
when they do occur, they may produce considerable irritation or discomfort.
5-23
-------
Exhibit 5-12:
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Increased Frequency and Duration
of Infection Since Beginning Work at Building
Percent Having Infections:
More Frequently
Less Frequently
Same Frequency
Employees Responding
Percent Whose Infections:
Last Longer
Last Shorter
Last the Same
Employees Responding
BUILDING
WATERSIDE
MALL
39%
5%
56%
2,989
36%
3%
61%
2,935
CRYSTAL
MALL
31%
7%
62%
433
31%
4%
65%
428
FAIRCHILD
23%
9%
67%
396
23%
4%
72%
382
"Infections" refer to colds, flu, bronchitis, etc.
Reference: Part II, Question 17.
5-24
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit S-12K Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose, Throat or Respiratory
Irritation to Various Causes at Workstation Last Year - WATERSIDE MALL
2SXT
20*
tsxf
o
fr
5Xf
Exhibit 5-13b: Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose, Throat or Respiratory
Irritation to Various Causes at Workstation Last Year - CRYSTAL MALL
23X
20* f
! 1SX
8-
-------
Exhibit 5-Ua: Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat Irritation to
New Carpet Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector
Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
«ox
JOX
,«
Coat Tower w«*t Tower Mall Mall NE Mall
2nd Floor 3rd Floor
SE Moll
Exhibit 5-14b: Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat Irritation to
Paint Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector
«ox
in
Eoit Tower We*t Tower Moll Moll NE Moll
2nd Floor 3rd Floor
SE Moll
Exhibit 5-14c Percent of Responding Employees Attributing Eye, Nose or Throat Irritation to
Tobacco Smoke Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector
40X
30X
1
20*
8.
n
Eo*t Tower WMt Tower Moll Moll
2nd Floor 3rd Floor
NE Moll SE Moll
Reference: Part II, Question 19.
5-26
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
tobacco smoke. It should be noted that EPA headquarters' smoking policy permits smoking only
in designated rest rooms.
5 J Comfort Issues
This section reports on the comfort level experienced by respondents in working at
EPA headquarters buildings. Two aspects of comfort are dealt with separately — comfort
associated with indoor air quality (e.g., how one feels about the temperature, stuffiness, odors,
etc.), and comfort related to the physical environment (as in the ergonomics of the workstation,
the comfort of the chairs, etc.).
Air Quality Comfort
A complete tabulation of responses to questions on air movement, temperature,
humidity, noise, and dust is presented in Exhibits C-12 and C-13 for each building and by
Waterside sector. An extract of key comfort concerns is displayed in Exhibit 5-15, which shows
that between 40 percent and 51 percent of respondents often or always wanted to adjust air
movement in their buildings, between 38 percent and 55 percent often or always wanted to adjust
the temperature, and between 32 percent and 35 percent often or always wanted to adjust
humidity. In all three buildings, respondents reported the air to be often or always too dry rather
than too humid, with too little as opposed to too much air movement. For example, in Crytal Mall,
these reported percentages were 38 percent as opposed to 8 percent and 48 percent as opposed to
3 percent, respectively. The desire to adjust temperature was seasonally dependent in all three
buildings, with respondents wanting to adjust temperature more during winter and summer. For
example, over two-thirds of all respondents in Waterside Mall reported wanting to adjust
termperature during winter and summer months.
Exhibit 5-16 breaks down the responses by Waterside Mall sectors. Lack of air
movement appears most prevalent in the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Mall and the Southeast Mall;
temperature adjustments are most often desired in the 2nd and 3rd floors Mall, West Tower and
Southeast Mall (Exhibit C-13). Changes in physical conditions are most desired in the winter and
summer seasons (Exhibit 5-17).
5-27
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-15:
Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to Adjust Environmental
Comfort Last Year, by EPA Headquarters Building
Adjust Air Movement
Adjust Temperature
Adjust Humidity
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
1,574
1,708
1,077
Percent
51%
55%
35%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
210
174
160
Percent
46%
38%
35%
FAIRCHILD
Number
164
162
131
Percent
40%
40%
32%
Reference: Part IE, Questions Ic, If and li.
Exhibit 5-16: Number and Percent Reporting Often or Always Wanting to Adjust Environmental
Comfort Last Year, by Waterside Mall Sector
Adjust Air Movement
Adjust Temperature
Adjust Humidity
WATERSIDE MALL SECTOR
EAST
TOWER
N
759
765
756
%
45%
52%
33%
WEST
TOWER
N
581
594
589
%
49%
59%
34%
MALL
2ND FLOOR
N
392
394
392
%
61%
62%
40%
MALL
3RD FLOOR
N
489
491
484
%
58%
59%
41%
NE
MALL
N
432
431
429
%
51%
54%
33%
SE
MALL
N
216
221
217
%
58%
57%
42%
Reference: Part HI, Questions Ic, If and li.
5-28
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-17a: Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to Adjust Physical Conditions, by
Season -• WATERSIDE MALL
Air Movement
Temperature
Humidity
Odors
NONE
N
339
125
656
1,558
%
11%
4%
21%
50%
WINTER
N
1,729
2,178
1,514
758
%
56%
70%
49%
24%
SPRING
N
1,126
1,000
695
596
%
36%
32%
22%
19%
SUMMER
N
2,126
2,124
1,460
927
%
68%
68%
47%
30%
FALL
N
1,071
974
679
574
%
34%
31%
22%
19%
Exhibit 5-17b: Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to Adjust Physical Conditions, by
Season - CRYSTAL MALL
Air Movement
Temperature
Humidity
Odors
NONE
N
64
43
104
251
%
14%
10%
23%
55%
WINTER
N
234
272
247
111
%
52%
60%
55%
25%
SPRING
N
156
123
100
82
%
34%
27%
22%
18%
SUMMER
N
311
302
183
134
%
69%
67%
40%
30%
FALL
N
152
118
93
84
%
34%
26%
21%
19%
Exhibit 5-17c: Number and Percent of Employees Responding Wanting to Adjust Physical Conditions, by
Season - FAIRCHILD BUILDING
Air Movement
Temperature
Humidity
Odors
NONE
N
71
35
113
238
%
17%
9%
28%
58%
WINTER
N
217
272
186
80
%
53%
66%
45%
20%
SPRING
N
124
110
76
60
%
30%
27%
19%
15%
SUMMER
N
241
242
169
104
%
59%
59%
41%
25%
FALL
N
115
106
79
55
%
28%
26%
19%
13%
Reference: Part III, Question 3.
5-29
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Volume I: Employee Survey
EPA Headquarter*
Employees were asked how often they took fresh air breaks. As shown in Exhibit
C-36, nearly half of ail employees in all three buildings take fresh air breaks one to four times per
week, while over 20 percent of Waterside Mall and Crystal Mall employees take fresh air breaks
more than five times a week.
Exhibit 5-18 shows the frequency with which respondents "sometimes/ "often,* or
"always" noticed different types of odors at their workstations, by building, (Again, "sometimes*
responses are included in these exhibits because of the episodic nature of the Exhibit 5-14 odors.
For a complete tabulation of responses on odors, see Exhibit C-14.) Food smells and cosmetics
are the most common, with body odor, tobacco smoke, new carpets, copy machines, and paint
contributing "sometimes' to the problem. Exhibit 5-19 shows the breakdown by Waterside Mall
sector for selected odors that have previously been reported anecdotally to be problems.
Physical Comfort
Ergonomic issues encompass lighting, chair comfort, and general workstation comfort.
Respondents' overall satisfaction with their physical workstations last year ranges from 62 percent
in Waterside to 79 percent in Fairchild (see Exhibit 5-20), For the majority of respondents, the
situation stayed about the same over the past year (Exhibit C-15). About two-thirds of employees
were reasonably comfortable with their chairs, desk set-up, and equipment (Exhibit C-16); 45
percent to 56 percent reported glare at their workstation (Exhibit C-17), Just over half of
respondents rated the lighting at their workstation just right, with about a third finding it a little
too dim (Exhibit C-18).
SA Employee Characteristics
This section outlines the findings of the survey in terms of background characteristics
of respondents, including demographic characteristics, health factors not related to the buildings,
job satisfaction and sources of stress, and the physical work environments in which employees
work. Information is presented for the three buildings as a whole with no breakdowns for
individual Waterside Mall sectors.
5-30
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ExUMS-lfe (Won Noticed at Present Warfcttatio* La« Year ~ WATERSIDE MALL
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
9
5.
Exhibit 5-Mk O4on Notice at PrcMM WorkMatJa* LM( YcM"-CRYSTAL MALL
-.
ExhiMt 5- Uc 04o« Noticed M Prorat Warttftatio* L**t Year - FAJRCHILD BUILDING
Reference: ftrt HI. Quenkm 2,
5-31
-------
Exhibit 5-19a: Percent of Responding Employees Who Noticed Other
Food Smells at Present Workstation Last Year, by
Waterside Mall Sector
Exhibit 5-19b: Percent of Responding Employees Who Noticed New
Carpet Odors at Present Workstation Last Year, by
Waterside Mall Sector
eox
sox
i
40%
01
ac
10X
0%
D Often/Always
E2 Sometime*
East Tower West Tower Mall
2nd Floor
Mall
3rd Floor
NE Moll
SE Mall
BOX
SOX
c
TJ 40X
I MX
10X
ox
D Often/Always
0 Sometimes
Eost Tower West Tower Mall Mall
2nd Floor 3rd Floor
NE Mall
SE Mall
Ol
c
T3 40X
S
&30X
V
10X
ox
a Often/Always
0 Sometimes
s-
>
East Tower West Tower Mall
2nd Floor
Mall
3rd Floor
NE Mall
SE Moll
-------
Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-20: Degree of Satisfaction with Physical Workstation Environment Last Year and Last Week,
by EPA Headquarters Building
Last Year
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Last Week
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
EMPLOYEES
RESPONDING
3,030
448
400
3,054
450
405
PERCENT RESPONDING
VERY
SATISFIED
13%
18%
26%
10%
18%
23%
SOMEWHAT
SATISFIED
49%
55%
53%
47%
50%
53%
NOT TOO
SATISFIED
28%
20%
16%
32%
24%
19%
NOT AT ALL
SATISFIED
10%
7%
5%
11%
8%
5%
Reference: Part III, Questions 10 and 11.
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The factors described in this section will be used in Volume III to help explain
patterns of health symptoms and comfort problems. They are expected to provide more detailed
insights into the differential health and comfort problems experienced by different types of
employees or employees in different buildings or sectors. For example, it may be possible to draw
conclusions that certain symptoms are found disproportionately among employees working in
particular types of workstations or subject to particular types of work-related stress. Or, for
example, people with pre-dispositions to allergies, or people who smoke may experience
heightened reactions to indoor air irritants; they may also experience health symptoms
independent of the effects of potential indoor air pollution in EPA buildings. It is important to
control for these background factors when conducting multivariate analyses, in order to determine
to what extent health and comfort symptoms can be attributed to building conditions and to what
extent they can be attributed to other independent factors.
5.4.1 Demographics
The demographic background factors included in the questionnaire involved
respondents' age, gender, educational status, and professional status.
Age and gender distributions are shown in Exhibit 5-21. Waterside Mall has a greater
percentage of female employees (53%) than the other two buildings (42% at Crystal, 47% at
Fairchild). Crystal Mall employees tend to be older than the other two buildings; only 17 percent
of Crystal employees are under age 35, compared to about a third at the other two buildings.
Most EPA respondents fall into job categories of managerial, professional, or
administrative labor. Fairchild and Waterside employees have somewhat higher proportions of
clerical staff (21-22%) than at Crystal Mall (16%) (see Exhibit C-19). Fairchild has considerably
fewer people with graduate degrees (27% compared to 45% at Waterside and 54% at Crystal; see
Exhibit C-20).
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Volume I. Employee Survey
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Exhibit 5-21: Age and Gender Distribution, by EPA Headquarters Building
Employees Responding
24 years or younger
25 - 34 years
35-44 years
45 - 54 years
55-64 years
65 years and older
WATERSIDE MALL
Male
1,422
1%
21%
42%
25%
9%
2%
Female
1,597
11%
31%
36%
12%
7%
2%
CRYSTAL MALL
Male
252
2%
10%
39%
27%
18%
5%
Female
183
8%
15%
44%
20%
11%
2%
FAIRCHJLD
Male
209
1%
26%
47%
16%
7%
2%
Female
188
4%
32%
36%
14%
5%
4%
Reference: Part II, Questions 21 and 22.
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
5.42 General Health Characteristics
Several questions on general health characteristics were asked to assess factors which
can affect responses to the questions regarding health symptoms. These included medical history,
the use of corrective lenses, and smoking history.
• Medical History (Exhibits C-21 and C-22). Some individuals have an increased
rate of eczema and allergies to pollens or animals. Fewer than 10 percent of
respondents in each building reported having had eczema, but between 44
percent and 50 percent of respondents reported an allergy to either pollen,
plants, or dust. About 30 percent of respondents in each building indicated they
believed they had a special sensitivity to eye, nose, throat, or respiratory
irritants. Persons with asthma may report more respiratory symptoms than
those without such a condition. Most (82-89%) of the people reporting
physician-diagnosed asthma stated that it was diagnosed before they started
work in the building. Such pre-existing asthma can thus be a risk factor for the
development of symptoms in the building. Individuals who have developed
asthma since working in the building may also be at increased risk for other
symptoms.
• Corrective Lenses. Approximately two-thirds (62-69%) of employees in each
building who wear contact lenses, wear them often or always at work (see
Exhibit C-23). At Crystal Mall, 20 percent of employees who wear contact
lenses never wear them at work. Reasons reported for this included the
comment that the air in the building is too dry to wear them comfortably, as
well as a number of non-work-related reasons.
• Tobacco Smoking. Between 14 and 18 percent of respondents are current
smokers; another 22 percent to 31 percent are former smokers (see Exhibit C-
24). Among current smokers, the vast majority (85-93%) do not smoke at their
workstation, but most smokers (74-89%) sometimes or often do smoke at other
locations at work. Few differences were noted between the buildings on
smoking habits, although Fairchild shows a slightly higher percentage of
smokers, a higher percentage of smoking at work, and higher numbers of
cigarettes smoked per day. (All three buildings have policies that permit
smoking only in designated rest rooms.)
5.43 Job Satisfaction and Stress
Various types of stress are capable of producing health symptoms that are similar to
those associated with poor indoor air quality and that may therefore influence the results. A series
of questions was designed to assess levels of job satisfaction and sources of work-related and
external stress. A description of the distribution of these factors is presented below. Analysis of
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
the relationships between these stressors and reported health and comfort concerns will be
addressed in Volume HI.
Responses to questions about job satisfaction were highly similar at all three
buildings, as can be seen in Exhibit 5-22: about 85 percent of respondents are very or somewhat
satisfied with their jobs. This level of satisfaction drops with respect to salary, but a still substantial
majority - 71-73 percent of respondents - report that they are satisfied with their salary. Between
57 percent and 65 percent of respondents report being satisfied with the opportunities available for
advancement.
Tabulated responses to questions on five job stress scales - role conflict, job control,
quantitative workload, underutilization of abilities, and role ambiguity - show few differences
across EPA buildings (see Exhibits C-25 through C-29). For example, 73 percent to 77 percent of
respondents are clear on their job responsibilities, and 59-60 percent indicate that they rarely get
conflicting orders from those in a position of authority. On the other hand, many more
respondents appear to feel that their skills are being underutilized. For example, only 43 percent
to 48 percent of respondents report that they are "fairly often" or "very often" allowed to do the
things they do best.
Home and other outside responsibilities can also contribute to stress. Exhibit C-30
contains data on external causes of stress. The distributions are again similar across buildings,
with 45-47 percent of employees having children at home, 25-26 percent having major
responsibility for child care duties, and 62-66 percent reporting major responsibility for
housecleaning duties. Between 29 percent and 34 percent of respondents in each building report a
regular commitment of five or more hours per week outside of their jobs.
5.4.4 Workstation and Exposure
Information on the physical elements of the work environment comes from answers to
Part I of the questionnaire.
• Type of Office Space. Exhibit 5-23 displays data on types of workstations at
EPA headquarters. By far the most common type of working arrangement at
Crystal Mall is an enclosed office with a door (84% of respondents), and
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-22: Satisfaction with Specific Characteristics of Job, by EPA Headquarters Building
Satisfaction with Job
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Satisfaction with Salary
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Satisfaction with Opportunity
for Advancement
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
EMPLOYEES
RESPONDING
3,042
448
400
3,039
448
399
3,009
448
397
PERCENT RESPONDING
VERY
SATISFIED
38%
38%
39%
21%
21%
21%
22%
21%
23%
SOMEWHAT
SATISFIED
47%
46%
45%
52%
50%
52%
39%
36%
42%
NOT TOO
SATISFIED
11%
13%
12%
19%
22%
19%
24%
25%
22%
NOT AT ALL
SATISFIED
3%
3%
5%
8%
8%
9%
16%
17%
13%
Reference: Part IV, Questions la, 2 and 3.
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-23: Description of Current Workstation, by EPA Headquarters Building
WORKSTATION
CHARACTER
Type of Space:
Enclosed Office with Door
Cubicle with Mid-Height
Partitions
Open Office Area
Other
Employees Responding
Space Sharing:
Single Occupant
Shared with One Other
Person
Shared with Two or More
Other Persons
Employees Responding
WATERSIDE MALL
Percent Respondents
66%
19%
13%
2%
3,048
54%
26%
19%
3,050
CRYSTAL MALL
Percent Respondents
84%
7%
8%
1%
444
30%
51%
18%
443
FAIRCHILD
Percent Respondents
27%
65%
5%
3%
407
74%
19%
7%
405
Reference: Part I, Questions la and Ib.
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
occupancy by either one or two people (81% respondents). At Waterside, 66
percent of respondents' workstations are fully enclosed offices; another 19
percent are cubicles with mid-height partitions, and 13 percent are open office
areas. Over half the respondents indicated their workspace has a single
occupant. At Fairchild, cubicles are the most commonly found work space
(65% of respondents), followed by enclosed offices (27%); 74 percent of
respondents have single occupant office space. Fewer than 40 percent of
Waterside respondents have a window at their workstation; approximately 65
percent of respondents at the other two buildings have windows (see Exhibit C-
31).
Workstation furnishings, equipment and recent changes. Types of furniture
and equipment, and recent changes in office surroundings are reported in
Exhibit C-32. With respect to new furnishings, Crystal respondents reported
less new carpeting, new furniture, and new equipment than did respondents in
the other two buildings. More Waterside employees (15%) reported seeing
evidence of water leaks than either Crystal (7%) or Fairchild (9%) employees.
New carpet and its installation has been a focus of other indoor air quality
studies and concern at Waterside Mail Twenty percent of Waterside
respondents, 8 percent of Crystal respondents, and 15 percent of Fairchild
respondents indicated that there was new carpet within 15 feet of their
workstations.
Fans, Heaters, Lamps. Information on the number of respondents who
regularly use portable fans, air filters, heaters, and desk lamps gives a good
indication of the degree to which employees are dissatisfied enough with their
work environments to take steps to ameliorate the conditions (see Exhibit C-
33). Desk lamps were used regularly by 42-46 percent of respondents. Portable
fans were used most at Waterside (48% of respondents) and Crystal (45%), and
less so at Fairchild (36%). Only Waterside respondents regularly made use of
portable heaters in any significant numbers (22% of respondents).
Workstation and Computers. An important element in evaluating indoor air
quality and wo-k environment conditions is the notion of exposure - for
example, for how many hours in a typical workday is an employee in the vicinity
of particular na:hines, chemical processes, or other potential pollution sources.
Descriptive suitiscics for some of these important situations are shown in
Exhibit C-34. .\ithough on average, respondents had been with EPA between 7
and 11 years, the average number of years at a respondent's current
workstation varied from 2.0 years at Fairchild to 3.1 years at Crystal.
Respondents in each building reported spending close to 7 hours per day at
their workstations. No large differences were noted between the buildings with
respect to the Tiean amount of time employees spent working with computers
(2.9 to 3.5 houis) and copying machines (1 hour). As one would expect,
exposure to computers is highly variable across respondents; some respondents
rarely if ever use computers, while high-use respondents (such as clerical
employees) use them 7-8 hours per day. Most employees did not work in the
vicinity of photographic or printing processing or other chemicals such as glues
and cleansers; however, some employees did spend most of their day with these
processes or exposed to chemicals.
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5.5 Essay Question
The final question on the questionnaire asked respondents to volunteer their
comments on environmental or health matters in their building, using their own words. At
Waterside Mall, nearly 1200 persons (about 39%) took the opportunity to write out a response.
The response level was similar at Crystal (36%), and lower at Fairchild (26%). Considering that
the question came at the end of a long and complex questionnaire, this is evidence that a large
number of employees (more than 1,400) still felt they had something to say.
The essay responses cannot, however, be considered as representative of the entire
employee population of the buildings. Nor is it possible to assume that the responses necessarily
represent the topics about which the respondent feels most strongly, since some topics not
mentioned in the response may have been covered adequately in the main questionnaire.
Therefore, the essay responses should be considered on their own merits, as anecdotal accounts
and suggestions offered by a substantial subgroup of building occupants.
Exhibit 5-24 presents a tabulation of the first condition mentioned in each essay
response. These responses may not reflect the primary concerns of the respondents, for two
reasons: (a) the primary concerns may have been adequately dealt with in the main questionnaire;
and (b) respondents may not necessarily have prioritized their concerns. However, complete
tabulations were made on a sample of 100 respondents and the relative frequency of appearance of
these conditions was not appreciably changed. Note that the table is incomplete in that it deals
with only one condition per respondent; the true number of persons mentioning a given condition
is likely to be larger than the number shown.
The responses show marked differences between buildings in terms of concerns
mentioned first. Each building had a different pair of first-mentioned concerns:
• At Waterside Mall, top concerns were the maintenance of the building and the
health of the respondent, each mentioned by about 20 percent of the
respondents.
• The overriding concern at Crystal Mall was air circulation (33% mentioned
stuffy, stale air first); followed by overcrowding (14%).
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Volume I. Employee Survey
EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-24: Summary of Responses to the Essay Question*
CONDITION
Maintenance
Health
Air Circulation
Temperature/humidity
Smoking
Overcrowding
Lighting/windows
Odors
Noise
Miscellaneous
Total
Percent of All Respondents
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
233
221
190
172
58
57
49
40
34
106
1,160
Percent
20%
19%
16%
15%
5%
5%
4%
3%
3%
9%
100%**
39%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
14
11
54
17
14
23
3
3
4
23
166
Percent
8%
7%
33%
10%
8%
14%
2%
2%
2%
14%
100%
36%
FAIRCfflLD
Number
5
10
14
20
20
6
4
4
2
19
104
Percent
5%
10%
13%
19%
19%
6%
4%
4%
2%
18%
100%
26%
*For those who listed several responses to this question, only the first one mentioned is tabulated.
"Does not add to 100% because of rounding.
Reference: Part V, Question 6.
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EPA Headquarters
At Fairchild, tobacco smoke, both in the rest rooms and at people's desks (in
violation of EPA's smoking policy) and temperatures (almost always too hot)
were both first-mentioned concerns of 19 percent of the essay responses.6
Employee Reactions to Environmental Factors
Reactions expressed in the essay responses are summarized below for the following
environmental concerns: comfort, tobacco smoke, building maintenance, and overcrowding.
Comfort Comfort variables include ventilation, temperature, and humidity. The
most common concern regarding ventilation was of "stuffy" air or no air movement. This was a
more common response at Crystal than at the other two buildings. Several respondents identified
the need for security and the resultant "sealing" of areas of the building by a series of closed doors
as a possible reason for poor air circulation. Several respondents mentioned stale air as reducing
their capacity to work. Some respondents in both Fairchild and Crystal reported having to get up
and walk to other areas of the building or outside to obtain enough fresh air to be able to continue
working.
A common complaint in all buildings was that the temperature was too hot. Many
respondents referred to temperatures in the 80's. By contrast, comments that the temperature was
sometimes too cold were recorded only by respondents from Waterside. One referred to wearing
a winter coat while working at his or her desk throughout the day. Waterside was also the only
building where respondents mentioned oscillating hot or cold temperatures as a problem.
Dry air in winter was the most common complaint regarding humidity. Respondents
attributed nose dryness and stuffiness to the dry air.
Building Maintenance. Comments regarding building maintenance were common at
Waterside, less so at the other two buildings. Several respondents said that Waterside Mall was
the worst place they had ever worked, citing the lack of maintenance, unpleasant working
6It is worth noting that of the six concerns mentioned first, three - building maintenance, overcrowding, and smoking policy - were not
fully explored in the main questionnaire. Future questionnaires of this sort should include questions on employees' perceptions of
building maintenance, adequacy of space, and adherence to smoking policy, if any.
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EPA Headquarters
conditions, drab, dirty environment, narrow hallways, and maze-like corridors. While a number of
respondents directed their anger at EPA management, others pinpointed the design of the
building as the principal reason for the intractability of the problem.
In addition to general comments, there were specific concerns expressed about the
ventilation system. Waterside respondents referred to dirt-filled air blowing around, sooty,
powdery dust, black particles falling from ventilators, and other strange material coming from the
ventilation system.
Comments about dusty, dirty working conditions were recorded at all three buildings,
with lack of vacuuming, and general clutter contributing to the problem. Poor maintenance of the
rest rooms was also mentioned frequently, particularly at Waterside Mall: stopped-up sinks,
overflowing toilets, clogged drains, and corresponding dirt, odors, and vermin were mentioned.
Remarks on the presence of mice and roaches were more common at Waterside.
Smoking. Despite the institution of smoking regulations at EPA, a number of
comments at all three buildings had to do with continued smoking. Fairchild respondents,
however, appeared particularly concerned about smoking problems, particularly in the rest rooms.
Overcrowding. A common concern, particularly in Crystal Mall, was crowded
conditions. Some respondents mentioned being unable to concentrate because of overcrowding.
In some cases, the overcrowding was due to too many people in too small an office; in other cases,
office equipment, furniture, and storage files were mentioned as primary contributors.
Employee Reactions to Health Symptoms
Nearly 200 respondents from Waterside Mall, (compared to only 10-11 from the other
two buildings) discussed their health concerns in the essay question. Exhibit 5-25 summarizes the
symptoms reported first by essay respondents.
Many EPA respondents used the essay question to report an increased frequency of
illness. In addition, respondents reported a complex of symptoms involving two or more bodily
systems. Commonly, three or more concurrent symptoms were reported from the following list:
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EPA Headquarters
Exhibit 5-25: Health Symptoms Reported First, by EPA Headquarters Building*
CONDITION
Allergies/Reactions
Sinus/Hoarseness
Flu, Colds, Bronchitis
Headache
Sore, Burning Eyes
Fatigue, Drowsiness
Dizziness
Memory Loss
Increased Frequency of Illness
Gynecological Problems
Chest Tightness, Shortness
of Breath
Other
Total
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
39
38
26
24
24
12
7
6
6
4
3
32
221
Percent
18%
17%
12%
11%
11%
5%
3%
3%
3%
2%
1%
14%
100%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
0
1
5
2
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
11
Percent
0%
9%
45%
18%
0%
18%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
9%
100%**
FAIRCHILD
Number
0
1
3
1
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
3
10
Percent
0%
10%
30%
10%
0%
10%
0%
0%
10%
0%
0%
30%
100%
For those who listed several responses to this question, only first one mentioned is tabulated here.
"Does not add to 100% because of rounding.
Reference Part V, Question 6.
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EPA Headquarters
headaches, dry or burning eyes, sore throat, sinus congestion, dry skin, flu-like symptoms, fatigue,
loss of memory, difficulty concentrating, and dizziness/light-headedness. Many respondents
associated their symptoms with working in their building.
Reactions and Allergies. Many respondents reported chronic or recurring symptoms
that they related to allergic reactions to biological contaminants (e.g., dust, mold, pollen, dust
mites, roaches), cigarette smoke, marking pens, pesticides, paper (>1 year old), paint, new
upholstery, foam products, perfume, hairsprays, and hand lotions. The types of symptoms
reported varied from hay fever, sinus congestion, and asthma attacks to fatigue and swollen lymph
nodes. In addition, many employees reported acute reactions (e.g., headaches, dizziness, burning
eyes) to specific renovation activities, particularly the installation of carpets or moving into offices
with new carpets or partitions.
Respiratory Symptoms. Many respondents mentioned frequent colds, flu, bronchitis,
and pneumonia episodes, and pointed out that their frequency had increased sharply since working
at EPA. Sinus congestion, stuffy nose, and sore throat were among the most common symptoms
reported.
Suggestions by Respondents
Many respondents gave thoughtful suggestions for ways to improve the building
environment. A particularly common suggestion was advance warning before initiating building
renovations or spraying chemicals. Other suggestions included more access to natural light in the
new building, "full spectrum" lighting, meeting the ASHRAE ventilation standard, central file
systems to reduce crowding and exposure to paper, raising partitions off the floor to improve air
movement, and wider hallways.
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Appendix A
Employee Questionnaire
A-l
-------
INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND
WORK ENVIRONMENT SURVEY
EPA HEADQUARTERS
We are investigating the air quality and work environment in this building. We
need information about your work environment and how it affects you. This
information is not available anywhere else. Therefore, we must rely on your
answers to this survey, along with monitoring of environmental conditions in
this building, to clearly analyze the situation. We need your participation,
regardless of how satisfied you are with the air quality or your work environment.
Attach Label Here
DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE OR THE RETURN
ENVELOPE PROVIDED. PLEASE PUT YOUR COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE IN
THE RETURN ENVELOPE. SEAL IT AND TAKE IT TO ONE OF THE RETURN
BOXES NEAR THE ELEVATORS AND BUILDING EXITS.
A-2
-------
PLEASE READ BEFORE
COMPLETING QUESTIONNAIRE
Many questions in the questionnaire concern either last week or last year. By
"LAST YEAR" we mean the 12-month period ending today. If you have worked
in the building for less than one year, answer the "LAST YEAR" questions only
for the part of the year that you worked in this building.
Please report your ACTUAL EXPERIENCES LAST WEEK even if last week was
unusual for you. By "LAST WEEK" we mean any or all days worked from last
Monday through Friday.
CONFIDENTIALITY
To protect your privacy, the identification for your questionnaire is the bar-code
label on the cover. The bar-code cannot be read by EPA computers or staff.
Additionally, the survey forms will be gathered by staff from Westat, Inc., an
independent survey research firm, and processed away from EPA. Your name
and other information necessary for the survey and analysis that might identify
you, such as your room and telephone number, will not be disclosed to
individuals, unions, or management of EPA. Reports of the survey will not give
your name, nor will data be presented in such a way that you, or anyone else,
could be identified.
STUDY SPONSORS AND ORGANIZATION
The study has been developed and is being conducted by the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), the John B. Pierce Foundation Laboratory at Yale University, and
Westat, Inc. It is being managed by EPA and NIOSH, and is being supported by funds from EPA.
A-3
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PART I. DESCRIPTION OF YOUR WORKSTATION
This section asks you to describe your workstation.
Your answers to these questions will help us to
construct a picture of your work surroundings.
By WORKSTATION we mean your desk, office, cubicle,
or place that is your primary work area. This descrip-
tion is obvious for many people, but more difficult for
those whose jobs require them to move about the
building. If you do move about the building, your
workstation is the specific location where you spend
more time than any other single location. If your
workstation has been relocated, use the location
where you are now.
1 . There are many different types of workstations.
Please check the categories that best describe
the space in which your current workstation is
located.
a. Type of space (Check one)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Enclosed office with door
Cubicle with floor to ceiling book-
cases or partitions and no door
Cubicle surrounded by mid-height
bookcases or partitions
Open office area
Stacks (e.g., books or periodicals)
Loading dock, laboratory, copy
center, or print shops
Work all around the building
Other (specify)
b. Type of space sharing (Check one)
1. n Single occupant
2. Q Shared with one other person
3. Q Shared with two or more other
persons
4. O Other (describe)
How many years of service do you have with
EPA? (Enter number of months if less than one
year.)
3.
years
months
a. How many years have you been working
in this building? (Enter number of months
if less than one year.)
years
months
b.
During a typical week, how many hours do
you spend in this building?
hours per week
a.
How many years have you worked at your
current workstation? (Enter number of months
if less than one year.)
years
months
b. During an average workday, how many hours
do you spend at your workstation?
hours per day
5. How many days did you work in this building last
week?
days last week
A-4
-------
6. What time do you usually:
a. Arrive at work
b. Leave work
AM PM
D D
D D
c. Varies (describe)
7. Which of the following items are presently located
within 15 feet of your workstation? (Check "no" or
'yes" for each item.)
No
1
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g-
h.
i.
I-
k.
I.
Metal desk
Wood or composition desk .
Metal bookshelves or
bookcases
Wood or composition
bookshelves or bookcases
File cablnet(s)
Other metal furniture
D-
D
Yes
2
D
D
D
D
Other wood or composition
furniture
Fabric-covered partitions ... Q
Portable humidifier ......... Q
Laser printer .............. Q
Photocopy machine ........ Q
Live plants ............... Q
8. Is there carpeting on most or all of the floor at
your workstation?
1.
2.
No
Yes
9.
During a typical day LAST WEEK, how much time
did you spend working with each of the following
items? (If you worked with an item at all, but less
than 1 hour, enter 1 hour per day.)
Hours
per day
Computer or word processor
with screen/keyboard
b. Photocopy machine
Photographic developing
and processing
d.
e.
Printing processing (press,
binding materials, etc.) —
Other chemicals such as
glues, adhesives, cleansers,
white out, rubber cement,
pesticides, etc
NOTE: If you have worked in this building for less
than a year, answer the following questions
for the part of the year that you worked in
this building.
10. Were any of the following items regularly used
at your workstation during the LAST YEAR:
(Check "no" or 'yes" for each 4tem.)
a. Portable fan
b. Portable air filter, or cleaner,
or negative-ion generator....
c. Portable heater
d. Desk lamp
No
1
D
D
D
D
Yes
2
D
D
D
D
A-5
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11. During the LAST YEAR (and since you've been in
your current workstation) have any of the following
changes taken place within 15 feet of your current
workstation? (Check "no" or "yes" for each item.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
New carpeting
New drapes or curtains
New furniture
No
1
D
New equipment, such
as a computer
Walls painted
Rearranged walls
Yes
2
D
D
n
n
D
12. At any time during the LAST YEAR, have you
noticed evidence of new or continuing water
leaks from the ceiling, floors, walls, or pipes
near your workstation?
1. n NO
2. n Yes
A-6
-------
PART II. INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
This section asks questions about the status of
your health and well-being. Your answers to these
questions will help us construct a profile of the
health status of the employees in this building.
Please answer all the questions even if you donl
associate these health conditions with your work.
1. a. Do you wear contact lenses?
1. Q Never ——
2. d Sometimes
3. D Often
4. D Always
b. Do you wear contact lenses at work?
1. D Never
2. |_J Sometimes —*• | Go to 0.2
3. D Often
4. D Always
c. If never worn at work, why?
During work, how often do you wear eyeglasses
(NOT including contacts) for close-up work?
1.
2.
3.
Never
Sometimes
Often
4. D Always
Which of the following best describes your
history of smoking tobacco products such as
cigarettes, cigars or pipes?
1 . Q
2. Q
3. Q
Never smoked -
Former smoker •
Current smoker
4. Do you smoke tobacco products at your
workstation?
1. D Never
2. n Sometimes
3. Q Often
5. Do you smoke tobacco products elsewhere at
work?
1. D Never
2. n Sometimes
3.
6. In a typical 24 hour day, how many CIGARETTES
do you usually smoke?
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
None
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 30
31 or more
A-7
-------
7. Please answer the three questions
to the right about each symptom
listed below, even if you believe
the symptom is not related to the
building.
(For each symptom, answer the first
question. If the response is "never,"
go down to the next symptom.)
m. neada
•: ^. s-.
b, nauseam
c. runny nose
d. stuffy nose/sinus congestion ...
f A >% A
e~ sneezing ..,.,,«
g. wheezing or whistling in chest ..
h. shortness of breath
t»"" chest tightness^**»...». v-*v»-.%>»»
--;j? - , - '"
1- ^ WS" ' '?"
'•'*'• ^ ',. A * '«}
J. dry, ttchlngr or tearing eyes *»»»»
k. sore/strained eyes
I. blurry/double vision
.•^ aorwthroat^lfc».•;;-...".;,'....,
o. hoarseness
p. dry throat .
q. unusual fatigue or tiredness
r. sleepiness* or drowsiness .
Please indicate how often
during the LAST YEAR
you have experienced this
symptom while working
in this building.
Some-
Never Rarely times Often Always
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Please indicate
how many days
LAST WEEK you
experienced this
symptom while
working in this
building.
(Fill in No. of days)
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Does the
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A-8
-------
7. (continued)
(For each symptom, answer the first
question. If the response is "never,"
go down to the next symptom.)
t. fever *-..,-
u. aching muscles or joints
v. problems with contact lenses .
We difficulty rememtwrinfl things
y. feeling depressed
z. tension or nervousness
i , -,, v»,
«. dttflctirty concentratfng , , ,,
dry or Hchy skfei
cc. pain or stiffness in upper back
dd. pain or stiffness in lower back
ee. pain or numbness fri
shoulder/neck ».,
pain or numbniss'OT^ '<
hands or tfftets^ ........
PIMM indicate how often
during the LAST YEAR
you have experienced this
symptom while working
in this building.
Some-
Never Rarely times Often Always
Please indicate
how many days
LAST WEEK you
experienced this
symptom while
working in this
building.
(Fill In No. of days)
,#,;*'<-
*
-"••'<>, '
Does the
symptom usually
change when
not at work?
Gets Stays Gets
Worse Same Better
nan
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'l-S
3
D
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or
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nan
1 2 3
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12 3
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n'
3
a
A-9
-------
NOTE: The next four questions (Questions 8-11) refer
to your symptoms described in Question 7.
If you reported that you never experienced
•ny of these symptoms, go to Question 12.
8. How often during the LAST YEAR have any of
your symptoms reduced your ability to work In
this building?
1. Q Never
2. Q Rarely
3. Q Sometimes
4. d Often
5. Q Always
9. a.
Have any of your symptoms caused you to
stay home from work or leave work early
during the LAST YEAR?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Never
Sometimes
Often
b. Which symptoms?
10. In which season(s) are you bothered more by the
symptoms you reported in Question 7? (Check all
that apply.)
1. Q Winter
2. n sP"n9
3. Q] Summer
4. n Faj|
5. n No relation to seasons
1 1. a.
Do you associate any of the symptoms you
reported in Question 7 with your work in this
building?
b. Have these symptoms:
1. Q improved over the last year
2. n become worse over the last year
3. Q stayed the same
12. During the LAST YEAR, have you had an illness
in which you had repeated episodes of THREE
OR MORE of the following symptoms at the same
time: wheezing, cough, shortness of breath,
fever, chills, aching joints/muscles?
1.
2.
n NO
D Yes
13. During the LAST YEAR, have you had any chest
illnesses, such as bronchitis or pneumonia,
that have kept you off work, indoors at home,
or in bed?
1.
2.
D No
D Yes
14. Has a physician ever told you that you have, or
had, eczema?
1.
2.
D No
D Yes
15. During the LAST YEAR, have you had any
episodes of wheezing (whistling in the chest)
WITHOUT fever, or chills, or sore throat?
1.
2.
D No
D Yes
A-10
-------
16. «. Has a physician ever told you that you have,
or had, asthma?
b. In what ysar was it first diagnosad?
19
e. Have you had an asthma attack during tha
LAST YEAR?
«
1. n NO
2. Yes
17. Comparing your health since working in this
building with your health before you began to
work in this building ...
/
a. ... do you have infections (e.g., colds, flu,
bronchitis, etc.)...
1. O more frequently?
2. CH less frequently?
• -
3. Q] with the same frequency?
b. ... do your infections (e.g., colds, flu,
bronchitis, etc.) tend to...
1. D last longer?
2. O last a shorter amount of time?
3. last about the same amount of time?
18. Do you believe you are or may be allergic to
any of the following? (Check "no" or "yes" for
'• each item.)
No Yes
1 2
a. pollen or plants Q Q
b. animals Q „.. Q
c. dust D ~ D
d. molds D D
e. Other (specify) n D
19. During the LAST YEAR, how often do you believe
you have experienced EYE, NOSE, THROAT, OR
RESPIRATORY IRRITATION at your workstation
from:
-, , , ALWAYS
OFTEN
- r> ' * .. SOMETIMES,
RARELY
~ NEVER
a. Tobacco smoke . . .
b. Fumes from a
photocopying
machine
c. Fumes from
printing processing
(press, binding
materials, etc.)
d. Fumes from other
chemicals such
as adhesive*,
glues, cleansers,
white out, rubber
cement, etc
e. Fumes from
pesticides
f. Fumes from
new carpeting
g. Fumes from
new drapes.
curtains, or
furniture
h. Fumes from
paint
I. Fumes from
cleaning of carpets.
drapes, or other
furnishings
J. Other (specify)
f
d:
f-S X
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A-ll
-------
20. Do you consider yourself especially sensitive to
any of the items in Questionl9?
1.
2.
n
Yes
21. How old are you?
years
Go to Part III on pg. 11
Women working in office buildings have occasionally
reported patterns of gynecological or women's health
problems. The following questions have been included
to help sort out some of these issues in this building.
As with the rest of the questions in this survey, your
responses are entirely voluntary and will be kept
confidential.
23. During the LAST YEAR have you menstruated
(had a period)?
1
2.
n
Yes
24. How often during the LAST YEAR has your
period been regular? (By regular, we mean
your periods come about once a month, you
can usually predict when they will come plus
or minus 4 days, and each time they last about
the same number of days.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Never
Rare|y
About half the time
Always
25. a. How many days does your menstrual flow
(period) typically last?
days
b. During the last year, what was the LONGEST
period you had?
days
c. During the last year, what was the SHORTEST
period you had?
days
26. a. How many days does your cycle typically
last? (Count from the first day of one period
to the first day of the next)
days
b. During the last year, what was the LONGEST
cycle you had?
days
c. During the last year, what was the SHORTEST
cycle you had?
days
27. How often during the LAST YEAR has there been
bleeding or spotting between your periods?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Never
1 - 3 times
4 • 6 times
7 • 9 times
10 or more times
A-12
-------
28. a. Some women experience menstrual
symptom*, such as headaches, weight
gain, irritability, cramping, breast
tenderness, or back pain. How often
have you experienced any of these
menstrual symptoms during the LAST
YEAR?
2. Q 1 - 3 times
3. n 4 -6 times
4. D 7 -9 times
5. O 10 or more times
b. When you experience these symptoms,
typically how severe are they?
1. Q MPd; could be ignored at times
2. D Moderate; pain, bloating, or mood
change noticeably present
3. n Severe; difficult to do most tasks
4. O Extreme; Incapacitating
29. During the LAST YEAR have you been.
(Check "no" or "yes" for each item.)
No
1
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Pregnant or nursing?
Taking birth control pills? .
Going through menopause
(change of life)?
Post-menopausal
(completed menopause)?
Taking estrogen replace-
ment therapy?
a
Yes
2
D
a
D
a
a
10
30. a. During the LAST YEAR have you been taking
hormones prescribed by a physician?
b. Specify what kind(s) and what they were
prescribed for.
31. a. Has a physician ever told you that you
had ... (Check "no" or "yes" for each item.)
Year
No Yes First
1 2 Diagnosed
Fibroids? ...........
Cysts? .............
Enlarged uterus? .....
D D
If all are "no," go to Part III
b. Have there been noticeable changes during
the last year? (Check one box for each item.)
Other.
Decreased Increased No Specify
In Size In Size Change Below
1 234
Fibroids . . .
Cysts
Enlarged
uterus
Specify
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
A-13
-------
PART III. INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR PRESENT WORK ENVIRONMENT
This section asks you to report specific responses to the physical environment at your present workstation. You
or a co-worker may have altered your work environment with a portable (an, heater, humidifier, etc. If so, please
tell us how your work environment would have been without this equipment
1. At your present workstation,
HOW OFTEN ...
(Please check one box for
last year and one box for
last week.)
a. was then too much-
^•1
b, wa»1enioo e^
aip^movement? »
c. did you want- .
d. was the temperature
too hot?
e. was the temperature
too cold?
f.
did you want
to adjust the
temperature?
g. wtitttoohumWr .„
rii.
' X:¥%4 ' &'**' '^$6'x f. &ev wattttoodry? i.r...
did you want -
to adjust th«.
j. was the air too
stuffy?
k. was it too noisy?
I. was H too quiet?
m. was the work
area too dusty?
Never
- ^
Git
% -x
'"•-"t
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- t"
;^D )
1
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A-14
11
-------
2. During the LAST YEAR, how often, if at all, have
you noticed any of these types of ODORS at your
present workstation? (Check one box for each item.)
ALWAYS
OFTEN
> SOMETIMES
RARELY
** r *"• -;> NEVEFMr
a. Body odor
b. Cosmetics, such
as perfume or
after-shave
c. Tobacco smoke . . .
d. Fishy smells
e. Other food smells . .
f. Musty or damp
basement smells . .
g. Odors from
new carpet
h. Odors from new
drapes or curtains .
i. Odors from diesel
or other engine
exhaust
j. Odors from a
photocopying
machine
k. Odors from
printing processing
(press, binding
materials, etc.)
-fe
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1
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2. (continued)
1. Odors from other
chemicals such as
adhesive*, glues,
cleansers, white
out, rubber cement,
pesticides, etc
m. Odors from
pesticides
n. Odors from clean-
ing of carpets,
drapes, or other
furnishings
o. Odors from
paint
p. Other unpleasant
odors (describe) . . .
*
>/-
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D.
3. In which seasons would you most like to adjust
the physical conditions around your workstation?
(Check all that apply)
Nona Winter Spring Summer Fall
n n
c. Humidity
d. Odors
i
ement . . . | |
1
ature Q
i
1 1
1
n
2
n
n
2
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nan
A-15
-------
PIMM rat* the lighting at your workstation.
1. Q Much too dim
2. Q A little too dim
3. O Just right
4. D A Me too bright
5. D Much too bright
S. a.
Do you experience a reflection or "glare"
in your field of vision when at your
workstation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Never
Sometimes
Often
Always
b.
Where doea the reflection or glare come
from? (Check all that apply)
1. Q] Window, sunlight, outside reflection
2. n Overhead fluorescent lights
3. n Video display screen and/or
reflections when looking at screen
4. Q Desk lamp
5. O Other (specify) _
6. Can you see out an outside window from your
workstation?
1.
2.
Yes
7.
8.
How comfortable ia the chair at your
workstation?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Reasonably comfortable
Somewhat uncomfortable
Very uncomfortable
Don't have one specific
chair •
GotoQ.8 \
b. la your chair easily adjustable?
1. n NO
2. n Yes
3. n Not adjustable
How comfortable ia the current set-up of your
desk or work table (that ia, height and general
arrangement of the table, chair, and equipment
you work with)?
1. Q Reasonably comfortable
2. Q] Somewhat uncomfortable
3. n VerY uncomfortable
4. [] Don't have one specific desk or
work table
9. a.
During the LAST YEAR, how many times
per week did you go outdoors, weather
permitting, during work hours (for lunch,
break, or other reasons)?
tlme(s) per week —* If zero, go to 0.10~[
b. How many of these times did you go
outdoors primarily to get some fresh air?
time(s) per week for fresh air
13
A-16
-------
NOTE: The next four questions concern the overall
physical environment at your workstation,
that is, tha air quality, tamparatura, light,
noiaa, odor, ate.
10. During tha LAST WEEK, how satisfied were you
with tha physical environment at your workstation?
1. Q Very satisfied
2. n Somewhat satisfied
3. Q Not too satisfied
4. Q Not at ail satisfied
11. During the LAST YEAR, how satisfied were you
with the overall physical environment at your
workstation?
1. Q Very satisfied
2. n Somewhat satisfied
3. D Not too satisfied
4. D Not at all satisfied
12. During the LAST YEAR, has the overall physical
environment in the vicinity of your workstation:
1. Q improved
2. n become worse
3. C] stayed the same
13. During a typical work day, does the overall
physical environment in the vicinity of your
workstation:
1. Q improve during the day
2. Q] become worse during the day
3. CD stay the same
14
A-17
-------
PART IV. CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUR JOB
This section asks you to describe your job in terms
of specific qualities. In order to gain a better under*
standing of your work environment, we would like to
know how you feel about your job situation. As stated
before, your responses will be kept confidential.
1. We would like you to think about the TYPE OF
WORK YOU DO IN YOUR JO& (Check one box
for each statement)
a. All in all, how satisfied are you with your
job?
1. O Very satisfied
2. Q Somewhat satisfied
3. D Not too satisfied
4. G Not at all satisfied
b. Knowing what you know now, if you had
to decide again whether to take the job
you now have, what would you decide?
Would you ...
1. Q Decide without hesitation to take the
same job
2. Q Have some second thoughts
3. O Decide definitely not to take the same
job
c. If you were free right now to go into any type
of job you wanted, what would your choice
be? Would you...
1. O Take the same job
2. CD Take a different job
3. [H Not want to work
d. If a friend of yours told you he/she was
interested in working in a job like yours,
what would you tell him/her? Would you ...
1. O Strongly recommend It
2. C] Have doubts about recommending it
3. CU Advise against it
2. How satisfied are you with your salary?
1. G Very satisfied
2. G Somewhat satisfied
3. G Not too satisfied
4. l~| Not at all satisfied
3. How satisfied are you with your opportunity
for advancement at EPA?
1. G Very satisfied
2. G Somewhat satisfied
3. G Not too satisfied
4. G Not at all satisfied
15
A-18
-------
4. Conflicts can occur in any Job. For example,
someone may ask you to do work in a way which
ia different from what you think is best, or you
may find that it is diffcutt to satisfy everyone.
HOW OFTEN do you face problems in your work
like the ones listed below? (Check one box for
each statement)
The next series of questions asks HOW MUCH
influence you now have in each of several areas
at work. By influence we mean the degree to
which you control whet Is done by others and
have freedom to determine what you do yourself.
(Check one box for each question)
#*.„*„ < &*#&? ,-, v VERYQFTENH
FAIRLY OFTEN
'- ,^> **;* '*»- SOMETIME
RARELY OR NEVER
a. Persons equal in
rank and authority
over you ask you
to do things which
conflict
b. People in a good
position to see if
you do what they
ask give you things
to do which conflict
with one another.
c. People whose
requests should
be met give you
things which
conflict with
other work you
have to do
1
n
i— imj
1
i
D
P
f"*
%
&"-
'?2'?
f*T
y-
i
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& ygte:
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9
tif
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f
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44
f\ •«&
•i
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,
<
4
D
VERY MUCH
MUCH
.**.'f X A MODERATE AMOUNT*
UTTLE
rr, VERYUTTL
a. How much
influence do
you have over
the amount of
work you do?
b. How much
influence do
you have over
the availability
of materials
you need to
do your work?
c. How much do
you influence
the policies
and procedures
in your work
group?
d. How much
influence do
you have over
the arrangement
of furniture and
other work equip-
ment at your
workstation?
E"'£"
'-^4
1
-
1
0
' <*.
1
D
2
a
2
n
1 LI*
2
D
2
a
v?«fc
>
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£$&
^ -
sit
fTT
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D
X
4
3
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4
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n
U«J
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5
a
A,-
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5
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16
A-19
-------
The next series of questions aaks HOW OFTEN
certain things happen at your job. (Check one
box for each question)
VERY OFTEN
FAIRLY OFTEN
SOMETi
OCCASIONALLY
a. How oftan doa*
your Job raquira
you to work
very faat?
b.
a.
f.
How oftan does
your job require
you to work
very hard?
How often does
your job leave
you with little
time to get
things done? ..
d. How often ia
there a great
deal to be
done?
How often does
your job let you
use the skills
and knowledge
you learned In
school?
How often are
you given a
chance to do
the things you
do best?
D
2
D
2
D
D
3
n
4
D
4
D
4
D
4
D
4
D
4
n
.O
5
D
5
D
< > *^-^^%-^?^ % VERYiQFTEN' ,
FAIRLY OFTEN
v , ^^^t^W'V^^^SQiMElliyiE!
OCCASIONALLY
'C '-' V *X7.^ 'RARELY^'
6. (Continued)
g. How oftan can
you use the
skills from
your previous
experience and
training?
h. How often are
you clear on
what your job
responsibilities
ere?
i. How often can
you predict
what others
will expect
of you on the
lob?
j. How much of
the time are
your work
objectives well
defined?
k. How often are
you clear about
what others
expect of you
on the job?
"X$v>
•y f
^
ijx^
1
•$,,
,»j>
1
D,
ftyr
«•"
** f *°*
>•/> v
/v
'"x <
VW f f
^X
D
tn«»f
1
D
2
D
2
D
2
D
2
n
L_^
2
D
%
-r
,»-'
-f:^
^v.' '
•f '
3
^
t^-
&
^
3
>s *,
JsP
•-, ^
:3
D
y
K"
3
D
tiinr
3
D.
4
D
4
D
4
D
4
n
L ^
4
D
A
*
•
5
D
*
?'
5
ill.
&:?:::-:-->';
•:|:;|f
:I:S-
D
-• : •/, ', '.-•
• •'-'•:. ?•*+.'.
'•+•&'.•'''•
'.•''•"'•'.'•: .
5
n
tii^j
5
D
17
A-20
-------
7. In order to better understand your responsibilities
outside your normal working day, the next series
of questions deals with other significant aspects
of your life. (Chock "no" or 'yes" for each question)
No Yes
1 2
a. Do you have children
at home?
b. Do you have major
responsibility for
childcare duties?
c. Do you have major
responsibility for
housecleaning duties?
d. Do you have major
responsibility for the
care of an elderly or
disabled person on a
regular basis?
Are you taking courses
for credit toward a
degree or a diploma?
f. Do you have a regular
commitment of five
hours or more per week,
paid or unpaid, outside
of this job? (Include
volunteer work, charitable
work, second fob, etc.)
18
A-21
-------
PARTY. CONCLUDING QUESTIONS
This section concludes this survey. Your answers
to these questions, like your answers to the previous
questions, will be kept confidential. This information
is needed for statistical purposes.
1 .
What day of the week did you complete this
survey?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
2. Which of the following best describes your current
living and financial arrangements?
1. Q Live alone, sole provider of rent/mortgage,
utilities, food, and other living expenses.
2. Q Uve alone, but receive assistance from
one or more others in paying rent/mortgage,
utilities, food, and other living expenses.
3. Q] Uve with one or more other persons, but
sole provider of rent/mortgage, utilities,
food, and other living expenses.
4. Q Live with one or more other persons who
help to pay rent/mortgage, utilities, food,
and other living expenses.
3. What is the highest grade you completed in
school?
1. Q 8th grade or less
2. n 9th, 10th, or 11th grade
3. O High school graduate
4. O 2 years of college or Associate Degree
5. Q Bachelor's or technical degree
6. Q] Some graduate work
7. O Graduate or professional degree
4.
What is your pay plan and grade (e.g.,
GS-5, GM-14, SES-2, WG-2, etc.)?
Which of the following best describes your
job duties and responsibilities? (If more than
one applies, check the ONE box for the job
duties on which you spend the most time.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
7.
8.
n
n
a
a
a
a
a
Managerial (such as administrator,
manager, etc.)
Professional (such as engineer,
scientist, lawyer, etc.)
Technical (such as technician,
programmer, etc.)
Administrative Support (such as
clerical, computer operator, etc.)
Service (such as health services,
food preparation, janitorial, etc.)
Craftsman (such as mechanic.
repairer, etc.)
Operator or laborer
Other (specify)
The following information is needed so that your
workstation can be located within this building. This
is necessary so that we can relate your responses to
the air measurements that will be taken in a few weeks.
As with the rest of the questions in this survey, this
information will be kept confidential. Please tell us:
5.
Your room number
b.
Your workstation telephone number (your
direct or private number.)
A-22
19
-------
6. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about environmental or health matters in this building?
If so, please use this space provided for that purpose.
Please put your completed questionnaire in the return envelope provided. Seal it and take it to one of the
return boxes located near the elevators and building exits.
PLEASE READ THE NEXT PAGE
20
A-23
-------
In a few weeks we plan to conduct air measurements In this building.
At that time people whose workstations are close to the air
measurement locations will be asked a few additional questions. You
may be recontacted at that time.
Thank you very much for your time and patience in filling out this
questionnaire.
A-24 21
-------
Appendix B
Supplemental Questionnaire
B-l
-------
INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
FOLLOWUP SURVEY
EPA HEADQUARTERS
Measurements of a variety of environmental conditions are being taken in your work area
throughout the day TODAY. To help determine how these measurements relate to your comfort
and health, please complete the attached questionnaire. Your participation in this part of the
evaluation of this building is, of course, voluntary.
Your completed questionnaire will be collected by and analyzed by Westat and Yale investigators
and WILL NOT BE SEEN BY EPA MANAGEMENT OR UNION REPRESENTATIVES.
So that we may combine your responses to this questionnaire with the questionnaire distributed
three weeks ago, we need you to print your name below. As soon as we have matched your
questionnaires, we will remove this cover sheet and save this questionnaire without your name
on it. At that time, we will also remove your name from the final combined data file.
YOUR FULL NAME:
(please print) FIRST MIDDLE LAST
Please complete this questionnaire even if you did not complete the questionnaire distributed
previously.
After you complete this questionnaire, please place it in the attached envelope and seal it. A
study investigator will collect it from you.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS SURVEY.
B-2
-------
(To b* completed by j
INDOOR AIR QUALITY AND
WORK ENVIRONMENT STUDY
Your answers to the following questions will sllow
a better interpretation of the environmental
measurements taken TODAY in the area around
your workstation.
1.
4.
Did you complete and return the yellow-
covered Indoor Air Quality and Work Environ-
ment questionnaire distributed during the
weeks of February 13 and 21,1989?
1.
2.
D No
D Yes
Have you been in this building at least 4 hours
yet TODAY?
1.
2.
NO
Yes
How many hours (to the nearest 1/2 hour) have
you spent at your workstation TODAY? (Enter
0 if you have not been at your workstation today.)
hours this morning (before 12:00 noon)
hours this afternoon (between 12:00
noon and time you complete this
questionnaire)
Since you arrived at work TODAY, have you
gone outside (for lunch, break, or other
reason)?
1.
2.
Q No
D Yes
7.
How many hours (to the nearest 1/2 hour)
have you spent TODAY working at a photo-
copy machine?
hours
How many hours (to the nearest 1/2 hour)
have you spent TODAY working at a video
display terminal?
hours
During the day TODAY, have you or anyone
else performed any of the following activities
at or near your workstation? (Check "no" or
yes" for each item.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Smoked tobacco
Used a humidifier
No
1
D
D
Yes
2
D
D
Used a cleanser, glue,
white out, or other
strong-smelling
chemical
D D
Used a computer or
word processor ...
e. Used a printer
D
D
D
D
B-3
-------
II. For the following, pleas* check
the response that best describes your
work environment TODAY...
(Please check one box for this morning
and one box for this afternoon.)
1. HastheAmiyiOVEMENTbeen:
"•^S % ^
* ^ VK v,. v
"••••
2. Has the TEMPERATURE been:
3. Has the HUMIDITY beenr
4. Has the NOISE LEVEL been:
•v \ ^^^ jv /vrtv*i^w«y^»A ^
Ha« ttw air be««
-------
8. Have you noticed any of these types of ODORS at
your workstation TODAY? (Chock one box for each
item.)
No Yes
1
a.: Bodr
b. Cosmetics, such as
perfume or after-shave ...
.•an
a Tobacco
f. Musty or damp
basement smells
D D
9. Odorsfrom ri^capet..."/.
h. Odors from new
drapes or curtains
D D
j. Odors from a photo-
copying machine ...
-a a
Odors from other
chemicals such as
adhesives, glues,
cleansers, white out,
rubber cement,
pesticides, etc
D
n. Odors from cleaning
of carpets, drapes, or
other furnishings —
D D
p. Other unpleasant
odors (describe)
D D
afcx-<-,- •
9. How would you judge the overall air quality in
this building TODAY?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Excellent
Good
Poor
B-5
-------
III. Have you experienced any of the following
symptoms while at work in this building
TODAY? (For each symptom, answer
"no" or 'yes." ff your response is "no,"
go down to the next symptom.)
N -w«y^ •"W4C- -, X#-» s > v^ ^ •• •* f -v vks^ f f
ft* •• luM^a*Hifc&jfexX ••-•• •• -- .4 ^
b.
c. runny nose
d. stuffy nose/sinus congestion
e, sne<
f. coagh^:.^!.;:
g. wheezing or whistling in chest
h. shortness of breath
t* chest
i.
k. dry, itching, or tearing eyes
I. sore/strained eyes
^ ***'*. *.».*.# * ^ * ft *, ft. *. ft. A- 4, ft ft ft- ft- ft---
o. sore throat .
p. hoarseness
q. drytfvc
^- s^ > ;^
<:•• «- *'*•» * *• * »•»»
- '«J« ' ^
sleepiness or drowsiness
chills
achlnemuBtdtts or joints ^£._.
problems with contact lenses
difficulty remembering things
dtcrim
tension or nervousness
difficulty concentrating
^ ^-< ^x A ^AV 1
B-6
-------
IV. The quality of indoor air and other
working conditions may influence the
way a person feels. For each of the
following, please indicate how you
have been feeling TODAY. (Check
one box for each Item.)
a* worn
^* iv
b. > Kstfes*
Not at all A little Moderately Quite a lot
.'il' ('<':--»««|%^, ^ ' MII.I.:.;^
* 3. Q ' , 4.0, -
"*
restless 1. D
exhausted 1. D 2.
anxious 1. 2.
V. What time is it now?
PM
Thank you for your time and patience in filling out this questionnaire. Your answers to this questionnaire,
like the previous questionnaire, will be kept confidential.
B-7
-------
Appendix C
Selected Data Tables from Employee Survey
C-l
-------
Exhibit C-la: Frequency Distribution of Symptoms Reported Last Year -- WATERSIDE MALL
SYMPTOMS
a. Headache
b. Nausea
c. Runny Nose
d. Stuffy Nose
e. Sneezing
f. Cough
g. Wheezing
h. Shortness of Breath
i. Chest Tightness
j. Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
k. Sore/Strained Eyes
1. Blurry/Double Vision
m. Burning Eyes
n. Sore Throat
o. Hoarseness
p. Dry Throat
q. Unusual Fatigue
r. Sleepiness
s. Chills
t. Fever
u. Aching Muscles
v. Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
w. Difficulty Remembering Things
x. Dizziness/Lightheadedness
y. Feeling Depressed
z. Tension or Nervousness
aa. Difficulty Concentrating
bb. Dry or Itchy Skin
cc. Pain in Upper Back
dd. Pain in Lower Back
ee. Pain in Shoulder/Neck
ff. Pain in Hands or Wrist
NEVER
9%
53%
15%
12%
14%
19%
67%
64%
69%
27%
25%
61%
41%
25%
47%
31%
22%
15%
49%
54%
39%
12%
47%
51%
35%
27%
30%
34%
47%
39%
52%
67%
RARELY
28%
32%
30%
22%
36%
42%
22%
21%
19%
21%
22%
19%
22%
39%
32%
30%
24%
24%
27%
36%
28%
17%
23%
26%
30%
26%
28%
18%
21%
23%
19%
17%
SOMETIMES
42%
13%
38%
35%
39%
31%
8%
11%
10%
30%
32%
13%
24%
28%
16%
25%
33%
40%
18%
9%
22%
37%
23%
19%
26%
34%
32%
25%
21%
26%
18%
11%
OFTEN
19%
2%
14%
24%
10%
7%
2%
3%
2%
17%
17%
5%
10%
7%
4%
11%
17%
16%
5%
1%
8%
23%
5%
4%
7%
11%
9%
16%
9%
10%
9%
4%
ALWAYS
2%
0%
3%
7%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
4%
4%
1%
3%
1%
1%
2%
4%
4%
1%
0%
2%
11%
1%
1%
1%
2%
1%
7%
2%
3%
2%
1%
TOTAL
REPORTING
3,082
3,063
3,062
3,067
3,064
3,067
3,060
3,064
3,059
3,068
3,062
3,062
3,065
3,065
3,065
3,062
3,068
3,065
3,071
3,065
3,071
624
3,062
3,065
3,066
3,061
3,064
3,061
3,065
3,062
3,063
3,062
These percentages are based upon onhr the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Part II, Question
La), as opposed to alj respondents in the building.
Reference: Part n, Question 7.
C-2
-------
Exhibit C-lb: Frequency Distribution of Symptoms Reported Last Year - CRYSTAL MALL
SYMPTOMS
a. Headache
b. Nausea
c. Runny Nose
d. Stuffy Nose
e. Sneezing
f. Cough
g. Wheezing
h. Shortness of Breath
i. Chest Tightness
j. Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
k. Sore/Strained Eyes
1. Blurry/Double Vision
m. Burning Eyes
n. Sore Throat
o. Hoarseness
p. .Dry Throat
q. Unusual Fatigue
r. Sleepiness
s. Chills
t. Fever
u. Aching Muscles
v. Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
w. Difficulty Remembering Things
x. Dizzwess/Lightheadedness
y. Feeling Depressed
z. Tension or Nervousness
aa. Difficulty Concentrating
bb. Dry or Itchy Skin
cc. Pain in Upper Back
dd. Pain in Lower Back
ee. Pain in Shoulder /Neck
ff. Pain in Hands or Wrist
NEVER
16%
55%
16%
16%
15%
21%
70%
66%
69%
33%
30%
65%
45%
28%
50%
34%
26%
15%
60%
54%
41%
16%
48%
57%
34%
26%
29%
42%
48%
45%
53%
66%
RARELY
30%
31%
32%
22%
37%
41%
20%
20%
19%
22%
20%
18%
22%
39%
32%
29%
23%
27%
28%
39%
27%
33%
22%
27%
33%
26%
31%
18%
23%
19%
20%
17%
SOMETIMES
37%
12%
35%
32%
38%
30%
7%
11%
10%
28%
35%
13%
23%
27%
15%
28%
31%
37%
10%
6%
19%
27%
24%
14%
24%
33%
31%
23%
19%
23%
18%
11%
OFTEN
15%
2%
13%
23%
9%
7%
3%
3%
3%
16%
13%
3%
9%
5%
3%
7%
16%
17%
2%
1%
10%
21%
3%
2%
7%
13%
6%
12%
9%
9%
7%
4%
ALWAYS
1%
0%
3%
7%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
2%
2%
1%
1%
0%
0%
1%
4%
4%
0%
0%
2%
3%
2%
0%
2%
2%
2%
5%
2%
4%
2%
1%
TOTAL
REPORTING
447
441
445
447
446
446
445
446
445
446
446
445
446
446
444
444
446
449
449
449
447
70
448
447
447
448
446
447
447
447
449
446
'These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work 'sometimes, often or always" (Pan II, Question
La), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
C-3
-------
Exhibit C-lc Frequency Distribution of Symptoms Reported Last Year - FAIRCHILD BUILDING
SYMPTOMS
a. Headache
b. Nausea
c. Runny Nose
d. Stuffy Nose
e. Sneezing
f. Cough
g. Wheezing
h. Shortness of Breath
i. Chest Tightness
j. Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
k. Sore/Strained Eyes
1. Blurry/Double Vision
m. Burning Eyes
n. Sore Throat
o. Hoarseness
p. Dry Throat
q. Unusual Fatigue
r. Sleepiness
s. Chills
t. Fever
u. Aching Muscles
v. Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
w. Difficulty Remembering Things
x. Dizziness/Lightheadedness
y. Feeling Depressed
z. Tension or Nervousness
aa. Difficulty Concentrating
bb. Dry or Itchy Skin
cc. Pain in Upper Back
dd. Pain in Lower Back
ee. Pain in Shoulder/Neck
ff. Pain in Hands or Wrist
NEVER
11%
57%
18%
12%
16%
20%
72%
70%
72%
32%
26%
60%
42%
32%
52%
35%
25%
16%
53%
56%
44%
15%
55%
56%
39%
32%
33%
38%
48%
41%
55%
74%
RARELY
31%
30%
33%
22%
36%
43%
19%
20%
17%
19%
20%
19%
25%
40%
31%
31%
25%
26%
29%
37%
29%
25%
26%
29%
31%
28%
30%
22%
21%
23%
17%
13%
SOMETIMES
39%
11%
32%
36%
35%
29%
6%
7%
8%
31%
33%
15%
21%
22%
14%
24%
34%
41%
15%
7%
22%
30%
16%
13%
23%
30%
30%
22%
21%
27%
19%
10%
OFTEN
18%
2%
15%
23%
12%
5%
1%
2%
3%
16%
18%
4%
10%
5%
2%
8%
13%
14%
2%
0%
4%
26%
3%
2%
4%
9%
5%
14%
8%
7%
6%
3%
ALWAYS
2%
0%
2%
7%
1%
3%
2%
1%
1%
2%
3%
2%
2%
1%
0%
3%
3%
3%
1%
0%
1%
5%
0%
0%
2%
1%
1%
4%
2%
2%
2%
0%
TOTAL
REPORTING
409
408
405
407
408
408
407
407
407
408
407
407
407
408
406
407
408
408
407
407
407
88
406
406
407
407
405
406
406
405
406
406
"These percentages are based upon only the people who wear contact lenses at work "sometimes, often or always" (Pan II, Question
La), as opposed to all respondents in the building.
Reference: Pan n, Question 7.
C-4
-------
Exhibit C-2
Percent Reporting Symptoms "Often or Always".
Last Year. By Waterside Mall Sectors
Symptoms
a. Headache
b. Nausea
c. Runny nose
d. Stuffy Nose
e. Sneezing
f. Cough
g. Wheezing
h. Shortness of Breath
i. Chest Tightness
|. Dry.ltching.or Tearing Eyes
k. Sore/Strained Eyes
1. Blurry/Double Vision
m. Burning Eyes
n. Sore Throat
o. Hoarseness
p. Dry Throat
q. Unusual Fatigue
r. Sleepiness
8. Chills
t. Fever
u. Aching Muscles
v. Problems w/ Contact Lenses
w. Difficulty Remembering Things
x. Dizziness/LJghtheadedness
f. Feeling Depressed
z. Tension or Nervousness
aa. Difficulty Concentrating
bb. Dry or Itchy Skin
cc. Pain in Upper Back
dd. Pain in Lower Back
ee. Pain in Shoulder/Neck
ff. Pain in Hands or Wrists
East
Tower
% *in
Resp. Sector
20% 772
2% 769
15% 769
29% 773
9% 769
7% 772
2% 770
3% 771
3% 770
18% 771
19% ~770
5% 772
11% 773
6% 771
3% 772
12% 771
19% 770
19% 770
3% 772
1% 772
10% 771
29% 153
5% 768
4% 770
7% 772
13% 771
8% 770
20% 771
8% 772
12% 770
9% 771
5% 769
West
Tower
% #in
Resp. Sector
18% 601
1% 600
17% 599
31% 599
12% 601
8% 599
2% 600
4% 599
2% 599
20% 600
19% 598
7% 597
11% 599
6% 599
4% 598
12% 599
20% 600
18% 600
7% 604
1% 602
9% 603
25% 133
6% 602
3% 600
9% 603
14% 601
8% 601
23% 601
13% 602
14% 601
10% 602
5% 602
#2
Mall
% »in
Resp. Sector
25% 401
2% 396
19% 396
30% 396
11% 395
11% 398
3% 395
4% 396
4% 395
26% 398
27% 396
9% 398
15% 395
11% 397
8% 396
19% 397
22% 397
20% 397
6% 400
1% 398
11% 399
43% 89
7% 399
6% 400
7% 397
15% 398
13% 399
25% 398
11% 398
9% 400
11% 399
6% 400
#3
Mall
% «in
Resp. Sector
25% 503
3% 500
19% 500
35% 502
13% 500
11% 499
4% 498
4% 498
2% 499
26% 500
23% 500
6% 498
14% 500
8% 499
4% 500
15% 500
25% 500
22% 500
6% 497
1% 497
11% 499
41% 108
6% 498
5% 498
11% 499
13% 498
13% 497
26% 498
11% 498
12% 497
12% 497
5% 498
NE
Mali
% #in
Resp. Sector
19% 439
3% 436
17% 435
31% 436
11% 435
8% 435
3% 436
4% 436
3% 434
19% 436
20% 435
7% 433
12% 435
5% 436
4% 435
12% 434
19% 437
19% 436
8% 433
1% 434
11% 434
33% 73
8% 433
4% 434
9% 434
11% 432
8% 435
21% 431
10% 432
14% 432
11% 431
5% 432
SE
MaN
% #in
Resp. Sector
25% 223
2% 223
16% 223
33% 222
13% 223
7% 224
3% 223
5% 223
4% 223
26% 223
25% 223
5% 223
13% 223
14% 223
5% 223
17% 221
23% 224
24% 225
5% 224
1% 223
8% 225
40% 50
6% 223
6% 223
8% 223
15% 222
16% 222
23% 224
10% 222
14% 223
11% 223
5% 223
Total
Responding
% «
Resp. Resp.
21% 2.939
2% 2.924
17% 2.922
31% 2.928
11% 2,923
8% 2.927
2% 2,922
4% 2.923
3% 2.920
22% 2.928
21% 2.922
6% 2.921
12% 2.925
7% 2.925
4% 2.924
14% 2.922
21% 2.928
20% 2.928
6% 2,930
1% 2.926
10% 2.931
34% 606
6% 2,923
4% 2,925
8% 2.928
13% 2.922
10% 2,924
23% 2,923
10% 2,924
12% 2,923
10% 2.923
5% 2,924
0
in
% Resp. - Percentage of Respondents in Sector.
* in Sector - Number of People in Sector.
* Resp. - Number of Waterside Mall Employees Responding.
Reference: Part II, question 7.
-------
Exhibit C-3 : Frequency Distribution of Gynecological Health
Issues, by EPA Headquarters Buildings
Number of Women
Responding
Percent Menstruated
Last Year
Ref: Ques. 11.23
Percent Pregnant or
Nursing Last Year
Ref: Ques. II. 29. a
Percent on Birth
Control Pills Last
Year
Ref: Ques. II.29.b
Percent Going
Through Menopause
Last Year
Ref: Ques. II.29.C
Percent Post-
menopausal Last Year
Ref: Ques. II.29.d
Percent on Estrogen -
Replacement Therapy
Last Year
Ref: Ques. II.29.e'
Percent on Hormones
Last Year
Ref: Ques. II. 30. a
Menstrual Regularity
Last Year
Percent Never
Percent Rarely
Percent About Half
the Time
Percent Often
Percent Always
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. 11.24
WATERSIDE
MALL
1656
k
83%
8%
20%
7%
*
7%
5%
8%
2%
5%
8%
27%
57%
1253
CRYSTAL
MALL
195
71%
4%
i
15%
10%
15%
8%
13%
3%
6%
7%
24%
60%
120
FAIRCHILD
198
83%
8%
24%
8%
7%
6%
7%
1%
4%
8%
27%
61%
143
C-6
-------
Exhibit C-3: Frequency Distribution of Gynecological Health
Issues, by EPA Headquarters Buildings (continued)
Typical Period
Length:
Percent 2 Days or
Less
Percent 3 Days
Percent 4 Days
Percent 5 Days
Percent 6 Days
Percent 7 Days
Percent 8 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II. 25. a
Shortest Period
Length Last Year:
Percent 2 Days or
Less
Percent 3 Days
Percent 4 Days
Percent 5 Days
Percent 6 Days
Percent 7 Days
Percent 8 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II.25.C
WATERSIDE
MALL
2%
16%
25%
37%
10%
8%
2%
1200
19%
32%
22%
20%
4%
3%
1%
1190
CRYSTAL
MALL
2%
19%
26%
40%
8%
3%
2%
118
21%
30%
23%
18%
4%
1%
3%
119
FAIRCHILD
6%
19%
21%
41%
5%
8%
1%
140
27%
30%
16%
21%
4%
2%
0%
141
C-7
-------
Exhibit C-3: Frequency Distribution of Gynecological Health
Issues, by EPA Headquarters Buildings (continued)
Longest Period
Length Last Year:
Percent 2 Days or
Less
Percent 3 Days
Percent 4 Days
Percent 5 Days
Percent 6 Days
Percent 7 Days
Percent 8 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II.25.b
Typical Cycle Length:
Percent 23 Days or
Less
Percent 24-25 Days
Percent 26-27 Days
Percent 28-29 Days
Percent 30-31 Days
Percent 32-33 Days
Percent 34 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II. 2 6. a
WATERSIDE
MALL
1%
5%
13%
32%
16%
21% '
13%
1201
18%
7%
9%
47%
13%
4%
3%
1127
CRYSTAL
MALL
2%
3%
14%
29%
14%
25%
14%
118
17%
8%
8%
48%
15%
2%
2%
112
FAIRCHILD
2%
6%
14%
30%
14%
24%
9%
141
22%
6%
7%
48%
11%
1%
4%
137
C-8
-------
Exhibit C-3: Frequency Distribution of Gynecological Health
Issues, by EPA Headquarters Buildings (continued)
•
Shortest Cycle
Length Last Year:
Percent 23 Days or
Less
Percent 24-25 Days
Percent 26-27 Days
Percent 28-29 Days
Percent 30-31 Days
Percent 32-33 Days
Percent 34 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II.26.C
Longest Cycle Length
Last Year:
Percent 27 Days or
Less
Percent 28-29 Days
Percent 30-31 Days
Percent 32-33 Days
Percent 34-35 Days
Percent 36-45 Days
Percent 46-60 Days
Percent 61 or More
Days
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II.26.b
WATERSIDE
MALL
39%
13%
16%
26%
6%
1%
1%
1036
22%
24%
22%
10%
8%
8%
3%
2%
1030
CRYSTAL
MALL
43%
12%
11%
25%
9%
0%
1%
103
22%
23%
25%
13%
4%
6%
5%
3%
102
FAIRCHILD
38%
10%
18%
27%
3%
0%
3%
128
26%
19%
22%
8%
5%
12%
7%
2%
129
C-9
-------
Exhibit C-4 : Frequency Distribution of Menstrual symptoms, Last
Year, by EPA Headquarters Buildings
Bleeding/Spotting
Between Periods:
Percent Never
Percent 1-3 Times
Percent 4-6 Times
Percent 7-9 Times
Percent 10 or More
Times
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. 11.27
Frequency of
Menstrual Symptoms:
Percent Never
Percent 1-3 Times
Percent 4-6 Times
Percent 7-9 Times
Percent 10 or More
Times
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II. 2 8. a
WATERSIDE
MALL
68%
24%
5%
2%
2%
1240
7%
18%
15%
15%
45%
1234
CRYSTAL
MALL
63%
25%
7%
3%
3%
120
8%
13%
15%
17%
48%
120
FAIRCHILD
63%
30%
4%
1%
2%
142
8%
22%
17%
10%
41%
143
C-10
-------
Exhibit C-4: Frequency Distribution of Menstrual Symptoms, Last
Year, by EPA Headquarters Buildings (continued)
Severity of
Menstrual Symptoms:
Percent Mild
Percent Moderate
Percent Severe
Percent Extreme
Employees Responding
Ref: Ques. II.28.b
WATERSIDE
MALL
32%
55%
11%
2%
1144
CRYSTAL
MALL
33%
52%
11%
4%
111
FAIRCHILD
37%
53%
8%
2%
131
C-ll
-------
Exhibit C-5 : Gynecological Health Problems, by EPA Headquarters
Buildings .
Percent with
Fibroids
Year Diagnosed:
Percent Before 1970
Percent 1970 - 1979
Percent 1980 - 1989
Changes in Size
Last Year:
Percent Decreased
Percent Increased
Percent No Change
Percent Other
Employees Responding
Percent with
Cysts
Year Diagnosed:
Percent Before 1970
Percent 1970 - 1979
Percent 1980 - 1989
Changes in Size
Last Year:
Percent Decreased
Percent Increased
Percent No Change
Percent Other
Employees Responding
WATERSIDE
MALL
21%
10%
22%
68%
7%
17%
57%
19%
1464
18%
13%
22%
65%
9%
10%
55%
26%
1434
CRYSTAL
MALL
21%
8%
20%
72%
6%
19%
53%
22%
168
12%
21%
21%
57%
17%
0%
56%
28%
159
FAIRCHILD
26%
3%
18%
79%
"a
7% ;
7%
60%
17%
169
18%
0%
27%
73%
12%
19%
58%
12%
160
Reference: Part II, question 31,
C-12
-------
Exhibit C-5 : Gynecological Health Problems, by EPA Headquarters
Buildings (continued)
Percent with
Enlarged Uterus
Year Diagnosed:
Percent Before 1970
Percent 1970 - 1979
Percent 1980 - 1989
Changes in Size
Last Year:
Percent Decreased
Percent Increased
Percent No Change
Percent Other
Employees Responding
WATERSIDE
MALL
4%
4%
11%
85%
8%
25%
48%
19%
1372
" CRYSTAL
MALL
6%
0%
0%
100%
22%
0%
67%
11%
157
FAIRCHILD
3%
0%
0%
100%
0%
33%
67%
0%
151
Reference: Part II, question 31.
C-13
-------
Exhibit C-6: Percent Reporting Symptoms One or More Days Last Week, by Sector, Waterside Mall
SYMPTOM
Headache
Nausea
Runny Nose
Stuffy Nose
Sneezing
Cough
Wheezing
Shortness of Breath
Chest Tightness
Dry, Itching, or Tearing Eyes
Sore/Strained Eyes
Blurry/Double Vision
Burning Eyes
Sore Throat
Hoarseness
Dry Throat
Unusual Fatigue
Sleepiness
Chills
Fever
Aching Muscles
Problems w/ Contact Lenses*
Difficulty Remembering Things
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
Feeling Depressed
Tension or Nervousness
Difficulty Concentrating
Dry or Itchy Skin
Pain in Upper Back
Pain in Lower Back
Pain in Shoulder/Neck
Pain in Hands or Wrist
EAST
TOWER
% Total
Reporting # in
Symptom Sector
49% 772
11% 769
42% 769
49% 773
38% 769
30% 772
8% 770
8% 771
8% 770
38% 771
38% 770
15% 772
23% 773
23% 771
15% 772
30% 771
46% 770
49% 770
15% 772
8% 772
27% 771
44% 153
23% 768
15% 770
27% 772
42% 771
34% 770
38% 771
19% 772
27% 770
23% 771
11% 769
WEST
TOWER
% Total
Reporting # in
Symptom Sector
54% 601
10% 600
44% 599
54% 599
44% 601
34% 599
10% 600
10% 599
10% 599
44% 600
44% 598
20% 597
29% 599
24% 599
15% 598
29% 599
39% 600
49% 600
19% 604
10% 602
24% 603
46% 133
24% 602
20% 600
29% 603
39% 601
34% 601
39% 601
24% 602
29% 601
24% 602
15% 602
MALL
2ND FLOOR
% Total
Reporting t in
Symptom Sector
59% 401
15% 396
44% 396
52% 396
44% 395
37% 398
7% 395
15% 396
7% 395
44% 398
44% 396
15% 398
37% 395
29% 397
22% 396
37% 397
44% 397
52% 397
22% 400
7% 398
29% 399
54% 89
20% 399
15% 400
30% 397
37% 398
37% 399
37% 398
22% 398
29% 400
22% 399
7% 400
MALL
3RD FLOOR
% Total
Reporting # in
Symptom Sector
53% 503
18% 500
47% 500
58% 502
41% 500
35% 499
12% 498
12% 498
12% 499
41% 500
41% 500
18% 498
29% 500
29% 499
18% 500
35% 500
47% 500
53% 500
18% 497
6% 497
23% 499
51% 108
18% 498
18% 498
23% 499
35% 498
35% 497
35% 498
23% 498
24% 497
18% 497
12% 498
NEMALL
% Total
Reporting § in
Symptom Sector
54% 439
13% 436
40% 435
54% 436
34% 435
27% 435
7% 436
13% 436
7% 434
40% 436
40% 435
13% 433
27% 435
27% 436
13% 435
27% 434
47% 437
54% 436
20% 433
7% 434
27% 434
50% 73
20% 433
13% 434
27% 434
34% 432
27% 435
34% 431
20% 432
27% 432
20% 431
7% 432
SEMALL
% Total
Reporting f in
Symptom Sector
53% 223
13% 223
39% 223
53% 222
39% 223
26% 224
0% 223
13% 223
13% 223
39% 223
39% 223
13% 223
26% 223
26% 223
13% 223
40% 221
52% 224
52% 225
13% 224
13% 223
26% 225
48% 50
26%' 223
26% 223
26% 223
39% 222
40% 222
39% 224
26% 222
26% 223
26% 223
13% 223
TOTAL
RESPONDING
% Total
Reporting f in
Symptom Bldg.
54% 2,939
13% 2,924
43% 2,922
52% 2,928
41% 2,923
32% 2,927
8% 2,922
11% 2,923
9% 2,920
41% 2,928
41% 2,922
17% 2,921
28% 2,925
25% 2,925
16% 2,924
30% 2,922
44% 2,928
50% 2,928
19% 2,930
8% 2,926
25% 2,931
48% 606
19% 2,923
18% 2,925
27% 2,928
38% 2,922
34% 2,924
36% 2,923
22% 2,924
28% 2,923
22% 2,923
11% 2,924
*Based upon onhr the people who wear contact lenses at work (Part II, Question l.a) as opposed to ajl responding employees.
Reference: Part II, Question 7.
-------
Exhibit C-7
100%-
80%
60%-
40%-
20%
0%
Prevalence of Symptoms by Season
EPA Headquarters
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
No Seasonal
Relationship
Waterside Mall
Fairchild Building
dl Crystal Mall
Reference: Part II, question 10.
-------
ON
Exhibit C-8
CAUSES FOR LEAVING
WORK OR STAYING HOME
20
Percent of Respondents
15
10
Headache Stuffy nose Flu/cold
Chills
Fever
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall LZD Fairchild
Reference: Part II, question 9b
-------
Exhibit C-9
SYMPTOMS CAUSE
ABSENTEEISM
Southeast Mall
2nd Floor Mall
3rd Floor Mall
West Tower
East Tower
Northeast Mall
0 5 10
Percent answering "sometimes" or "often"
Reference: Part II, Question 9a
15 20 25 30
35
-------
Exhibit C-10
ASSOCIATE SYMPTOMS
WITH BUILDING
oo
Southeast Mall
2nd Floor Mall
3rd Floor Mall
West Tower
East Tower
Northeast Mall
20
40
Percent "Yes'
60
80
Reference: Part II, Question 11a.
-------
Exhibit C-l la
Number and Percent of Responding Employees Attributing
Eye. Nose. Throat or Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes
at Workstation, Last Year. Waterside Mall
O
•-»
vo
Tobacco Smoke
Fumes from Copy Machine
Fumes from Printing Process
Fumes from Other Chemicals
Fumes from Pesticides
Fumes from New Carpeting
Fumes from New Drapes
Fumes from Paint
Fumes from Cleaning of Carpets
Other Fumes
Never
# Resp.
2.146
2.287
2.703
2.063
2,431
1.852
2,324
1.888
2,242
1,880
% Resp.
71%
76%
90%
69%
82%
62%
78%
63%
75%
85%
Rarely
# Resp.
433
438
209
549
376
490
394
591
454
45
% Resp.
14%
15%
7%
18%
13%
16%
13%
20%
15%
2%
Sometimes
# Resp.
281
207
55
297
127
441
183
401
209
139
% Resp.
9%
7%
2%
10%
4%
15%
6%
13%
7%
6%
Often
# Resp.
94
46
18
65
26
152
62
84
49
109
% Resp.
3%
2%
1%
2%
1%
5%
2%
3%
2%
5%
Always
# Resp.
61
22
13
24
19
58
26
40
21
48
% Resp.
2%
1%
0%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
1%
2%
Total Irritated
# Resp.
869
713
295
935
548
1.141
665
1,116
733
341
% Resp.
29%
24%
10%
31%
18%
38%
22%
37%
25%
15%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part II. question 19.
-------
Exhibit C-llb
Number and Percent of Responding Employees Attributing
Eye, Nose, Throat or Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes
at Workstation, Last Year. Crystal Mall
Tobacco Smoke
Fumes from Copy Machine
Fumes from Printing Process
Fumes from Other Chemicals
Fumes from Pesticides
Fumes from New Carpeting
Fumes from New Drapes
Fumes from Paint
Fumes from Cleaning of Carpets
Other Fumes
Never
# Resp.
299
320
395
331
362
339
375
276
343
314
% Resp.
67%
73%
91%
75%
83%
78%
86%
62%
79%
86%
Rarely
# Resp.
80
69
27
71
63
66
47
95
70
7
% Resp.
18%
16%
6%
16%
14%
15%
11%
21%
16%
2%
Sometimes
# Resp.
45
34
7
31
9
22
10
57
14
12
% Resp.
10%
8%
2%
7%
2%
5%
2%
13%
3%
3%
Often
« Resp.
13
12
2
5
2
8
3
7
4
20
% Resp.
3%
3%
0%
1%
0%
2%
1%
2%
1%
5%
Always
# Resp.
10
4
2
1
1
2
1
7
3
12
% Resp.
2%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
1%
3%
Total Irritated
* Resp.
148
119
38
108
75
98
61
166
91
51
% Resp.
33%
27%
9%
25%
17%
22%
14%
38%
21%
14%
2
o
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part II, question 19.
-------
Exhibit C-llc
Number and Percent of Responding Employees Attributing
Eye. Nose, Throat or Respiratory Irritation to Various Causes
at Workstation. Last Year. Fairchild Building
Tobacco Smoke
Fumes from Copy Machine
Fumes from Printing Process
Fumes from Other Chemicals
Fumes from Pesticides
Fumes from New Carpeting
Fumes from New Drapes
Fumes from Paint
Fumes from Cleaning of Carpets
Other Fumes
Never
# Resp.
284
319
367
314
350
281
312
313
315
347
% Resp.
70%
79%
92%
78%
88%
71%
78%
78%
79%
94%
Rarely
# Resp.
63
56
23
59
35
55
43
46
47
2
% Resp.
16%
14%
6%
15%
9%
14%
11%
12%
12%
1%
Sometimes
# Resp.
34
18
5
23
9
39
30
26
29
13
% Resp.
8%
4%
1%
6%
2%
10%
7%
7%
7%
4%
Often
# Resp.
11
5
3
3
2
17
12
10
5
6
% Resp.
3%
1%
1%
1%
1%
4%
3%
3%
1%
2%
Always
# Resp.
11
4
0
2
2
5
4
5
4
2
% Resp.
3%
1%
0%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
Total Irritated
# Resp.
119
83
31
87
48
116
89
87
85
23
% Resp.
30%
21%
8%
22%
12%
29%
22%
22%
21%
6%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part II, question 19.
-------
Exhibit C-12a
Physical Environment ot Workstation. Last Year.
Waterside Mall
Too Much Air Movement
Too Little Air Movement
Adjust the Air Movement
Temperature Too Hot
Temperature Too Cold
Adjust the Temperature
Too Humid
Too Dry
Adjust the Humidity
Air Too Stuffy
Too Noisy
Too Quiet
Work Area Too Dusty
Never
# Resp.
1,316
322
237
234
197
94
1.239
467
572
276
482
2,051
703
% Resp.
44%
11%
8%
8%
6%
3%
41%
15%
19%
9%
16%
68%
23%
Rarely
# Resp.
783
430
252
412
538
190
939
512
451
415
811
758
763
% Resp.
26%
14%
8%
14%
18%
6%
31%
17%
15%
14%
27%
25%
25%
Sometimes
# Resp.
530
886
931
1,318
1.352
1.029
590
931
884
960
835
141
830
% Resp.
18%
30%
31%
43%
44%
34%
20%
31%
30%
32%
28%
5%
27%
Often
# Resp.
269
881
1,006
940
814
1.146
176
693
646
830
523
33
421
% Resp.
9%
29%
34%
31%
27%
38%
6%
23%
22%
27%
17%
1%
14%
Always
# Resp.
97
476
568
136
144
562
54
415
431
549
376
22
302
% Resp.
3%
16%
19%
4%
5%
19%
2%
14%
14%
18%
12%
1%
10%
Total Com
ft Resp.
1.679
2.673
2.757
2.806
2.848
2.927
1.759
2.551
2.412
2.754
2.545
954
2.316
plaining
'/0 Resp.
56%
89%
92%
92%
94%
97%
59%
85%
81%
91%
84%
32%
77%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III, question 1.
-------
Exhibit C-12b
Physical Environment of Workstation, Last Year.
Crystal Mall
Too Much Air Movement
Too Little Air Movement
Adjust the Air Movement
Temperature Too Hot
Temperature Too Cold
Adjust the Temperature
Too Humid
Too Dry
Adjust the Humidity
Air Too Stuffy
Too Noisy
Too Quiet
Work Area Too Dusty
Never
# Resp.
281
57
57
34
101
29
221
85
104
56
76
310
106
% Resp.
64%
13%
13%
8%
23%
7%
51%
19%
24%
13%
17%
71%
24%
Rarely
# Resp.
98
54
47
76
153
53
117
78
58
56
115
112
131
% Resp.
22%
12%
11%
17%
35%
12%
27%
18%
13%
13%
26%
26%
30%
Sometimes
# Resp.
44
116
120
190
154
182
61
108
110
128
135
10
135
% Resp.
10%
26%
28%
43%
35%
42%
14%
25%
25%
29%
31%
2%
31%
Often
# Resp.
8
115
117
113
29
115
27
115
100
106
75
2
33
% Resp.
2%
26%
27%
26%
7%
26%
6%
26%
23%
24%
17%
0%
8%
Always
# Resp.
5
98
93
30
4
59
8
53
60
94
40
2
34
% Resp.
1%
22%
21%
7%
1%
13%
2%
12%
14%
21%
9%
0%
8%
Total Complaining
# Resp.
155
383
377
409
340
409
213
354
328
384
365
126
333
% Resp.
36%
87%
87%
92%
77%
93%
49%
81%
76%
87%
83%
29%
76%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III, question 1.
-------
Exhibit C-12c
Physical Environment of Workstation. Last Year.
Fairchild Building
Too Much Air Movement
Too Little Air Movement
Adjust the Air Movement
Temperature Too Hot
Temperature Too Cold
Adjust the Temperature
Too Humid
Too Dry
Adjust the Humidity
Air Too Stuffy
Too Noisy
Too Quiet
Work Area Too Dusty
Never
# Resp.
237
52
54
28
60
21
185
79
96
60
81
240
128
% Resp.
59%
13%
14%
7%
15%
5%
46%
20%
24%
15%
20%
60%
32%
Rarely
# Resp.
131
75
52
69
116
45
116
76
65
66
141
117
115
% Resp.
33%
19%
13%
17%
29%
11%
29%
19%
16%
17%
35%
29%
29%
Sometimes
# Resp.
27
117
129
181
178
173
69
118
107
119
108
29
106
% Resp.
7%
29%
32%
45%
44%
43%
17%
30%
27%
30%
27%
7%
26%
. Often
tf Resp.
5
82
91
95
41
98
20
66
75
81
47
8
30
% Resp.
1%
21%
23%
24%
10%
24%
5%
17%
19%
20%
12%
2%
7%
Always
# Resp.
2
74
73
28
7
64
8
59
56
73
24
5
22
% Resp.
0%
19%
18%
7%
2%
16%
2%
15%
14%
18%
6%
1%
5%
Total Com
# Resp.
165
348
345
373
342
380
213
319
303
339
320
159
273
plaining
% Resp.
41%
87%
86%
93%
85%
95%
54%
80%
76%
85%
80%
40%
68%
i
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III. question 1.
-------
Exhibit C-13
Environmental Comfort of Workstation Last Year,
Percent Reporting Often/Always,
By Waterside MaH Sectors
Too Much Air Movement
Too Little Air Movement
Adjust the Air Movement
Temperature Too Hot
Temperature Too Cold
Adjust the Temperature
Too Humid
Too Dry
Adjust the Humidity
Air Too Stuffy
Too Noisy
Too Quiet
Work Area Too Dusty
East
Tower
% «in
Resp. Sector
13% 764
40% 761
34% 759
33% 768
23% 768
52% 765
6% 757
37% 764
33% 756
41% 769
30% 767
2% 760
22% 763
West
Tower
% fin
Resp. Sector
15% 585
38% 583
49% 581
39% 595
35% 596
59% 594
8% 586
37% 590
34% 589
42% 592
31% 589
2% 588
26% 589
*2
Mai
% *in
Resp. Sector
13% 393
55% 391
61% 392
40% 397
36% 398
62% 394
8% 394
37% 399
40% 392
50% 395
32% 397
1% 395
23% 395
*3
Mai
% fin
Resp. Sector
8% 485
56% 489
58% 489
36% 494
32% 494
59% 491
9% 490
39% 488
41% 484
55% 494
24% 493
1% 490
28% 491
NE
Mai
% «in
Resp. Sector
12% 427
42% 427
51% 432
30% 435
34% 437
54% 431
6% 434
32% 435
33% 429
40% 430
30% 434
2% 431
19% 433
SE
Mai
% *in
Resp. Sector
8% 214
57% 217
58% 216
34% 220
34% 222
57% 221
9% 215
45% 218
42% 217
52% 222
34% 219
1% 217
28% 219
Total
Responding
% #of
Resp. Resp.
12% 2868
46% 2868
49% 2869
36% 2909
31% 2915
57% 2896
7% 2876
37% 2894
36% 2867
46% 2902
30% 2899
2% 2881
24% 2890
% Resp. - Percentage of Respondents Reporting Comfort Factor "Often or Always".
* in Sector - Number of Respondents in Sector Reporting Comfort Factor.
i of Resp. - Number of Waterside Mall Employees Reporting Comfort Factor.
Reference: Part III. question 1.
-------
Exhibit C-l4u
Odors Noticed at Present Workstation, Last Year.
Waterside Mall
Body Odor
Cosmetics
Tobacco Smoke
Fishy Smells
Other Food Smells
Musty/Damp Basement Smells
New Carpet Odors
New Drape/Curtain Odors
Diesel/Engine Exhaust Odors
Copy Machine Odors
Odors from Printing Processing
Odors from Other Chemicals
Pesticide Odors
Odors from Cleaning of Carpet/Drape
Paint Odors
Other Unpleasant Odors
Never
# Resp.
1,950
1.143
1.977
2,177
746
2,093
1.920
2.546
2.453
2.258
2,711
1.687
2,411
2.190
1.768
2.228
% Resp.
64%
38%
65%
72%
25%
69%
63%
84%
81%
74%
90%
56%
80%
73%
59%
81%
Rarely
# Resp.
699
894
638
493
701
570
539
346
341
475
238
870
453
576
774
222
% Resp.
23%
30%
21%
16%
23%
19%
18%
11%
11%
16%
8%
29%
15%
19%
26%
8%
Sometimes
# Resp.
294
702
301
283
1.046
268
422
104
165
221
55
384
133
205
412
206
% Resp.
10%
23%
10%
9%
34%
9%
14%
3%
5%
7%
2%
13%
4%
7%
14%
8%
Often
# Resp.
65
213
84
65
451
79
124
18
64
58
13
66
12
33
62
49
% Resp.
2%
7%
3%
2%
15%
3%
4%
1%
2%
2%
0%
2%
0%
1%
2%
2%
Always
# Resp.
19
78
33
14
93
28
36
6
10
19
8
15
4
6
6
35
% Resp.
1%
3%
1%
0%
3%
1%
1%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
Total Reporting
Odors
# Resp.
1,077
1,887
1.056
855
2,291
945
1,121
474
580
773
314
1.335
602
820
1.254
512
% Resp.
36%
62%
35%
28%
75%
31%
37%
16%
19%
26%
10%
44%
20%
27%
41%
19%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III, question 2.
-------
Exhibit C-14b
Odors Noticed at Present Workstation, Last Year,
Crystal Mall
Body Odor
Cosmetics
Tobacco Smoke
Fishy Smells
Other Food Smells
Musty/Damp Basement Smells
New Carpet Odors
New Drape/Curtain Odors
Diesel/Engine Exhaust Odors
Copy Machine Odors
Odors from Printing Processing
Odors from Other Chemicals
Pesticide Odors
Odors from Cleaning of Carpet/Drape
Paint Odors
Other Unpleasant Odors
Never
# Resp.
263
135
258
296
90
352
342
374
387
324
404
275
362
339
260
351
% Resp.
59%
30%
58%
67%
20%
79%
77%
84%
87%
72%
91%
62%
82%
77%
58%
84%
Rarely
# Resp.
108
143
110
96
123
70
81
62
41
74
33
125
72
80
113
29
% Resp.
24%
32%
25%
22%
28%
16%
18%
14%
9%
17%
7%
28%
16%
18%
25%
7%
Sometimes
# Resp.
58
121
50
40
151
17
16
5
12
31
6
42
10
19
63
23
% Resp.
13%
27%
11%
9%
34%
4%
4%
1%
3%
7%
1%
9%
2%
4%
14%
6%
Often
# Resp.
9
37
19
8
68
2
2
1
2
17
0
2
0
3
6
11
% Resp.
2%
8%
4%
2%
15%
0%
0%
0%
0%
4%
0%
0%
0%
1%
1%
3%
Always
# Resp.
5
7
7
3
12
3
2
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
3
3
% Resp.
1%
2%
2%
1%
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
1%
Total Reporting
Odors
* Resp.
180
308
186
147
354
92
101
69
56
123
39
170
82
102
185
66
% Resp.
41%
70%
42%
33%
80%
21%
23%
16%
13%
28%
9%
38%
18%
23%
42%
16%
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III, question 2.
-------
Exhibit C-I4c
Odors Noticed at Present Workstation. Last Year.
Fairchild Building
Body Odor
Cosmetics
Tobacco Smoke
Fishy Smells
Other Food Smells
Musty/Damp Basement Smells
New Carpet Odors
New Drape/Curtain Odors
Diesel/Engine Exhaust Odors
Copy Machine Odors
Odors from Printing Processing
Odors from Other Chemicals
Pesticide Odors
Odors from Cleaning of Carpet/Drape
Paint Odors
Other Unpleasant Odors
Never
# Resp.
271
143
283
313
106
326
289
325
363
310
371
262
368
315
306
355
% Resp.
67%
35%
70%
77%
26%
80%
72%
81%
90%
77%
92%
65%
91%
78%
76%
89%
Rarely
# Resp.
80
125
75
60
109
56
64
52
24
58
22
103
28
59
64
23
% Resp.
20%
31%
19%
15%
27%
14%
16%
13%
6%
14%
5%
26%
7%
15%
16%
6%
Sometimes
* Resp.
38
91
31
26
141
22
35
19
14
30
6
33
6
26
31
14
% Resp.
9%
23%
8%
6%
35%
5%
9%
5%
3%
7%
1%
8%
1%
6%
8%
4%
Often
# Resp.
13
35
9
3
43
1
9
2
4
2
1
2
0
1
2
5
% Resp.
3%
9%
2%
1%
11%
0%
2%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
Always
» Resp.
3
10
6
2
6
0
5
5
0
3
2
3
1
2
1
1
% Resp.
1%
2%
1%
0%
1%
0%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Total Reporting
Odors
# Resp.
134
261
121
91
299
79
113
78
42
93
31
141
35
88
98
43
% Resp.
33%
65%
30%
23%
74%
20%
28%
19%
10%
23%
8%
35%
9%
22%
24%
11%
s
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part III. question 2.
-------
Exhibit C-15: changes in Workstation Physical Environment, by
EPA Headquarters Buildings
Changes Last Year
Improved
Became Worse
Stayed the Same
Employees Responding
Changes During a
Typical Work Day
Improves
Becomes Worse
Stays the Same
Employees Responding
WATERSIDE
MALL
20%
14%
66%
3045
5%
22%
72%
3045
CRYSTAL
MALL
13%
20%
67%
448
3%
26%
72%
447
FAIRCHILD
17%
12%
72%
405
4%
21%
75%
405
Reference: Part III, questions 12 and 13.
C-29
-------
Exhibit C-16: Degree of Responding Employees' chair fc Workstation Comfort, by EPA
Headquarters Buildings
Chair Comfort
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Comfort of Set-up
of Desk, Equipment
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
EMPLOYEES
RESPONDING
3068
450
404
3059
450
403
REASONABLY
COMFORTABLE
67%
63%
71%
71%
70%
69%
PERCENT RESPONDING
SOMEWHAT
UNCOMFORTABLE
21%
24%
21%
22%
22%
24%
VERY
UNCOMFORTABLE
11%
12%
7%
7%
8%
7%
NOT
APPROPRIATE
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
2
o
Reference: Part III, questions 7.'a and 8.
-------
Exhibit C-i?: Percent of Responding Employees Reporting Glare At Workstation, by EPA
Headquarters Buildings
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
EMPLOYEES
RESPONDING
3044
448
404
NEVER
51%
55%
44%
PERCENT R]
SOMETIMES
36%
37%
44%
SSPONDING
OFTEN
7%
6%
8%
ALWAYS
4%
2%
4%
s
Reference: Part III, question 5.a.
-------
Exhibit C-18 : Responding Employees Rating of Lighting at
Workstation, by EPA Headquarters Buildings
Employees Responding
Much Too Dim
A Little Too Dim
Just Right
A Little Too Bright
Much Too Bright
WATERSIDE
MALL
3051
7%
34%
51%
7%
1%
CRYSTAL
MALL
449
5%
35%
54%
5%
1%
FAIRCHILD
404
5%
27%
59%
6%
1%
Reference: Part III, question 4.
C-32
-------
o
<0
*rf
c
o
•o
c
o
o.
m
c
o
o
60% i
50% -
40% -
30% -
20% -
10% -
0%
Exhibit C-19
Distribution Of Job Categories,
by EPA Headquarters Buildings
I
0 Waterside Mall
Q Crystal Mall
B FairchikJ
1 -MMM0MW
2 - ProfMskNwl
3 -Tadmlcal
4 - Admlrtoirartv*
S -Swvfca
6 • Craltman
7 • Operator or Laborer
a-Oft*
NCM.
EmptayaMRacponolng:
3.001 at WatanMa Mai.
444 ai Crystal UaU.
38» at Ih* FalrcMM
Reference: Part V. question 4.b.
Job Category
-------
Exhibit C-20
Education Distribution, by
EPA Headquarters Buildings
nt Respondents
i • i . i . i
O 20% -
a.
10% -
-
V77\
% g
4, — a _
^ — — ^
% — ^ — ^
w — . £y< ^ vv
$^
%
'//
fr<
ti
%
f/\
Y/.
f/i
Vit
Yf<
'//,
;'.->.
'•:':•
'••',
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Q Waterside Mall
D Crystal Mall
Q Fairchild
1 . 8th Grad« or L«s*
2 . «h. toin or nm
3 . High School Gradual*
4 » Two Years Cotag«
5 - Badialors or Technical Degree
6 . Some Graduate Work
7 » Graduate or Professional
Note:
Employees Responding:
3.046 at Waterside Mall.
444 at Crystal Mai.
390 at the Fal/chlld Building.
Reference: Part V. question 3. Educational Category
-------
Exhibit C-21:
Medical History: Number and Percent of Responding Employees, by EPA Headquarters
Building
SYMPTOM CLUSTER
Ever Had or Have Eczema
Sensitivity to Eye, Nose,
Throat or Respiratory Irritants
Physician Ever Diagnosed
Asthma
Asthma Diagnosed Since
Working in the Building
WATERSIDE MALL
Number
247
969
260
46
Percent
8%
32%
8%
18%
CRYSTAL MALL
Number
33
142
59
8
Percent
7%
32%
13%
14%
FAIRCfflLD
Number
33
118
35
4
Percent
8%
29%
9%
11%
Reference: Part H, Questions 14, 20, I6.a and 16.b, respectively.
C-35
-------
Exhibit C-22a
Reported Frequency of Sensitivity to
Various Allergies, Waterside Mall
Pollen or Plants
Animals
Dust
Molds
Other
No
# Resp.
1,620
2.300
1.588
1,920
1,980
% Resp.
56%
82%
54%
68%
86%
Yes
* Resp.
1,286
498
1.344
914
311
% Resp.
44%
18%
46%
32%
14%
Total
Responding
2,906
2.798
2,932
2.834
2.291
Exhibit C-22b
Reported Frequency of Sensitivity to
Various Allergies, Crystal Mall
Pollen or Plants
Animals
Dust
Molds
Other
No
# Resp.
216
311
212
254
281
% Resp.
50%
77%
50%
61%
84%
Yes
# Resp.
212
91
216
164
52
% Resp.
50%
23%
50%
39%
16%
Total
Responding
428
402
428
418
333
Exhibit C-22c
Reported Frequency of Sensitivity to
Various Allergies, FairchikJ Building
Pollen or Plants
Animals
Dust
Molds
Other
No
# Resp.
208
292
213
255
342
% Resp.
54%
79%
55%
68%
90%
Yes
# Resp.
174
76
177
118
36
% Resp.
46%
21%
45%
32%
10%
Total
Responding
382
368
390
373
378
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part II, question 18.
C-36
-------
Exhibit C-23: Frequencies of Use of Corrective Lenses at Work, by EPA Headquarters Building
Have or Wear Contact
Lenses
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
Wear Eyeglasses For
Close-Up Work
Waterside Mall
Crystal Mall
Fairchild
EMPLOYEES
RESPONDING
690
87
101
3,036
446
401
PERCENT RESPONDING
NEVER
9%
20%
13%
39%
31%
39%
SOMETIMES
21%
18%
24%
13%
15%
12%
OFTEN
12%
14%
14%
11%
10%
11%
ALWAYS
57%
48%
50%
38%
44%
38%
Reference: Part II, questions l.b and 2.
C-37
-------
Exhibit C-24: Summary of Responding Employees' Smoking Habits,
by EPA Headquarters Buildings
Percent:
Never Smoked
Former Smoker
Current Smoker
Employees Responding
Among Current
Smokers :
Percent Smoke at
Workstation
Never
Sometimes
Often
Percent Smoke
Elsewhere at Work
Never
Sometimes
Often
Cigarettes per Day,
Percent
None
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 20
21 to 30
31 or more
WATERSIDE
MALL
58%
28%
14%
3,062
90%
9%
1%
21%
57%
22%
10%
31%
21%
26%
8%
3%
CRYSTAL
MALL
54%
31%
14%
443
85%
15%
0%
26%
53%
21%
11%
29%
15%
29%
8%
8%
FAIRCHILD
BUILDING
60%
22%
18%
404
93%
7%
0%
11%
57%
31%
7%
19%
29%
33%
9%
3%
Reference: Part II, questions .3, 4, 5 and 6,
C-38
-------
Exhibit C-2S«
Frequency Distributions of the Components of the
Role Conflict Scale, Waterside Mall
Conflicting tasks from
Persons:
Equal in rank
In position of authority
Whose requests should be met
Rarely
# Resp.
1,718
1,773
1.078
% Resp.
57%
59%
36%
Sometimes
# Resp.
1.025
941
1.232
% Resp.
34%
31%
41%
Fairly Often
# Resp.
197
202
492
% Resp.
7%
7%
16%
Very Often
* Resp.
79
93
204
% Resp.
3%
3%
7%
Total
Responding
3,019
3,009
3,006
Exhibit C-25b
Frequency Distributions of the Components of the
Role Conflict Scale, Crystal Mall
Conflicting tasks from
Persons:
Equal in rank
In position of authority
Whose requests should be met
Rarely
* Resp.
253
263
149
% Resp.
57%
59%
33%
Sometimes
i Resp.
155
135
199
% Resp.
35%
30%
45%
Fairly Often
« Resp.
30
31
61
% Resp.
7%
7%
14%
Very Often
* Resp.
9
14
36
% Resp.
2%
3%
8%
Total
Responding
447
443
445
2
VO
Exhibit C-25c
Frequency Distributions of the Components of the
Role Conflict Scale, Fairchild Building
Conflicting tasks from
Persons:
Equal in rank
In position of authority
Whose requests should be met
Rarely
* Resp.
247
238
147
% Resp.
62%
60%
37%
Sometimes
# Resp.
117
115
165
% Resp.
29%
29%
' 42%
Fairly Often
# Resp.
25
33
57
% Resp.
6%
8%
14%
Very Often
# Resp.
9
12
28
% Resp.
2%
3%
7%
Total
Responding
398
398
397
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part IV. question 4.
-------
Exhibit C-26a
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Job Control Scale. Waterside Mall
How Much Influence Do You Have
in the Following Areas:
Over Amount of Work You Do
Over Availability of Materials
Over Policies in Work Group
Over Layout/Design Workstation
Very
Little
* Resp.
373
291
482
394
% Resp
12%
10%
16%
13%
Little
i Resp.
449
513
594
336
% Resp.
15%
17%
20%
11%
A Moderate
Amount
t Resp.
1.147
1.072
991
588
% Resp.
38%
36%
33%
20%
Much
f Resp.
687
777
644
658
% Resp.
23%
26%
21%
22%
Very
Much
f Resp.
363
358
299
1,036
% Resp.
12%
12%
10%
34%
Total
Responding
3.019
3.011
3.010
3.012
Exhibit C-26b
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Job Control Scale. Crystal Mall
How Much Influence Do You Have
in the Following Areas:
Over Amount of Work You Do
Over Availability of Materials
Over Policies in Work Group
Over Layout/Design Workstation
Very
Little
# Resp.
70
" 95
99
61
% Resp.
16%
21%
22%
14%
Little
* Resp.
Tfr
78
115
108
52
% Resp.
17%
26%
24%
12%
A Moderate
Amount
f Resp.
153
142
134
106
% Resp.
34%
32%
30%
24%
Much
* Resp.
90
69
71
100
% Resp.
20%
16%
16%
22%
Very
Much
« Resp.
56
24
32
126
% Resp.
13%
5%
7%
28%
Total
Responding
447
445
444
445
Exhibit C-26c
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Job Control Scale. Fairchild Building
How Much Influence Do You Have
in the Following Areas:
Over Amount of Work You Do
Over Availability of Materials
Over Policies in Work Group
Over Layout/Design Workstation
Very
Little
f Resp.
74
40
68
69
% Resp.
19%
10%
17%
18%
Little
* Resp.
74
86
88
52
% Resp.
19%
22%
22%
13%
A Moderate
Amount
f Resp.
143
136
137
61
% Resp.
36%
34%
35%
15%
Much
* Resp.
70
101
71
93
% Resp.
18%
26%
18%
24%
Very
Much
« Resp.
34
32
31
119
% Resp.
9%
8%
8%
30%
Total
Responding
395
395
395
394
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. • Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part IV. question 5.
-------
Exhibit C-27«
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Quantitative Workload Scale, Waterside Mall
Required to Work Very Fast
Required to Work Very Hard
Little Time to Get Things Done
Often Have Lot to Do
Rarely
* Resp.
127
111
272
81
% Resp.
4%
4%
9%
3%
Occasionally
f Resp.
501
309
404
258
% Resp.
17%
10%
13%
9%
Sometimes
* Resp.
997
755
943
616
% Resp.
33%
25%
31%
20%
Fairly
Often
* Resp.
932
1,129
828
1,082
% Resp.
31%
37%
27%
36%
Very
Often
* Resp.
475
729
573
990
% Resp.
16%
24%
19%
33%
Total
Responding
3.032
3,033
3.020
3,027
Exhibit C-27b
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Quantitative Workload Scale. Crystal Mall
Required to Work Very Fast
Required to Work Very Hard
Little Time to Get Things Done
Often Have Lot to Do
Rarely
* Resp.
18
19
45
9
% Resp.
4%
4%
10%
2%
Occasionally
If Resp.
98
51
86
43
% Resp.
22%
11%
19%
10%
Sometimes
f Resp.
143
126
112
75
% Resp.
32%
28%
25%
17%
Fairly
Often
* Resp.
121
146
119
147
% Resp.
27%
33%
27%
33%
Very
Often
f Resp.
66
105
83
173
% Resp.
15%
23%
19%
39%
Total
Responding
446
447
445
447
Exhibit C-27c
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Quantitative Workload Scale, Falrchlld Building
Required to Work Very Fast
Required to Work Very Hard
Little Time to Get Things Done
Often Have Lot to Do
Rarely
f Resp.
18
14
34
11
% Resp.
5%
4%
9%
3%
Occasionally
f Resp.
68
43
69
25
% Resp.
17%
11%
17%
6%
Sometimes
* Resp.
117
107
112
71
% Resp.
29%
27%
28%
18%
Fairly
Often
1 Resp.
121
117
108
137
% Resp.
30%
29%
27%
34%
Very
Often
f Resp.
75
117
77
155
% Resp.
19%
29%
19%
39%
Total
Responding
399
398
400
399
f Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. • Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part IV, questions 6.a through 6.d.
-------
Exhibit C-28a
Frequency Distribution of the Components ol the
Underutilization of Abilities Scale. Waterside Mall
Use Skills Learned in School
Allowed to do Things You do Best
Use Skills from Past Experience
Rarely
# Resp.
364
319
252
% Resp.
12%
11%
8%
Occasionally
# Resp.
490
392
378
% Resp.
16%
13%
13%
Sometimes
* Resp.
769
851
661
% Resp.
25%
28%
22%
Fairly
Often
# Resp.
855
1,035
1,031
% Resp.
28%
34%
34%
Very
Often
* Resp.
544
421
697
% Resp.
18%
14%
23%
Total
Responding
3.022 ,
3,018
3.019
Exhibit C-28b
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Underutilization of Abilities Scale, Crystal Mall
Use Skills Learned in School
Allowed to do Things You do Best
Use Skills from Past Experience
Rarely
* Resp.
55
51
44
% Resp.
12%
11%
10%
Occasionally
# Resp.
76
72
74
% Resp.
17%
16%
17%
Sometimes
# Resp.
100
122
92
% Resp.
22%
27%
21%
Fairly
Often
* Resp.
129
141
138
% Resp.
29%
32%
31%
Very
Often
i Resp.
86
60
99
% Resp.
19%
13%
22%
Total
Responding
446
446
447
2
K)
Exhibit C-28c
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Underutilization of Abilities Scale. Fairchild Building
-.
- ,«* ™
Use Skills Learned in School
Allowed to do Things You do Best
Use Skills from Past Experience
Rarely
* Resp.
52
41
28
% Resp.
13%
10%
7%
Occasionally
# Resp.
65
57
52
% Resp.
16%
15%
13%
Sometimes
* Resp.
102
128
97
% Resp.
26%
33%
24%
Fairly
Often
# Resp.
113
116
118
% Resp.
29%
30%
30%
Very
Often
» Resp.
64
51
102
% Resp.
16%
13%
26%
Total
Responding
396
393
397
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part IV. questions 6.e through 6.g.
-------
Exhibit C-29a
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Role Ambiguity Scale. Waterside Mall
Clear on Job Responsibilities
Predict what Others Expect of You
Work Objectives Well Defined
Clear on Others Expectations of You
Rarely
* Resp.
109
136
208
162
% Resp.
4%
5%
7%
5%
Occasionally
« Resp.
223
261
370
294
% Resp.
7%
9%
12%
10%
Sometimes
* Resp.
487
601
832
710
% Resp.
16%
20%
28%
24%
Fairly
Often
* Resp.
1,262
1,347
1,137
1,254
% Resp.
42%
45%
38%
42%
Very
Often
1 Resp.
941
677
469
592
% Resp.
31%
22%
16%
20%
Total
Responding
3,022
3.022
3.016
3.012
Exhibit C-29b
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Role Ambiguity Scale, Crystal Mall
Clear on Job Responsibilities
Predict what Others Expect of You
Work Objectives Well Defined
Clear on Others Expectations of You
Rarely
* Resp.
12
21
28
25
% Resp.
3%
5%
6%
6%
Occasionally
f Resp.
32
31
40
37
% Resp.
7%
7%
9%
8%
Sometimes
f Resp.
60
88
109
96
% Resp.
13%
20%
24%
21%
Fairly
Often
f Resp.
199
209
195
197
% Resp.
45%
47%
44%
44%
Very
Often
1 Resp.
143
98
75
92
% Resp.
32%
22%
17%
21%
Total
Responding
446
447
447
447
Exhibit C-29c
Frequency Distribution of the Components of the
Role Ambiguity Scale, Falrchild Building
Clear on Job Responsibilities
Predict what Others Expect of You
Work Objectives Well Defined
Clear on Others Expectations of You
Rarely
# Resp.
15
20
19
20
% Resp.
4%
5%
5%
5%
Occasionally
# Resp.
32
35
49
36
% Resp.
8%
9%
12%
9%
Sometimes
* Resp.
55
92
93
92
% Resp.
14%
23%
23%
23%
Fairly
Often
If Resp.
169
164
179
171
% Resp.
43%
41%
45%
43%
Very
Often
t Resp.
126
87
58
79
% Resp.
32%
22%
15%
20%
Total
Responding
397
398
398
398
Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part IV. questions 6.h through 6k.
-------
Exhibit C-30a: Frequency Distribution of the Components of the External Stress Scale - WATERSIDE MALL
Children at Home
Major Responsibility for Childcare
Major Housecleaning Responsibilities
Regular Care for Elderly Person
Taking Courses Toward Degree/Diploma
Regular Commitment Outside Job
NO
Number
1,644
2^50
1,026
2,858
2,692
2,125
Percent
55%
75%
34%
94%
89%
71%
YES
Number
1,365
767
1,988
172
332
888
Percent
45%
25%
66%
6%
11%
29%
TOTAL
RESPONDING
3,009
3,017
3,014
3,030
3,024
3,013
Exhibit C-30b: Frequency Distribution of the Components of the External Stress Scale - CRYSTAL MALL
Children at Home
Major Responsibility for Childcare
Major Housecleaning Responsibilities
Regular Care for Elderly Person
Taking Courses Toward Degree/Diploma
Regular Commitment Outside Job
NO
Number
245
329
169
414
405
295
. Percent
55%
74%
38%
93%
91%
66%
YES
Number
198
113
273
30
40
150
Percent
45%
26%
62%
7%
9%
34%
TOTAL
RESPONDING
443
442
442
444
445
445
Exhibit C-30c Frequency Distribution of the Components of the External Stress Scale - FAIRCHILD BUILDING
Children at Home
Major Responsibility for Childcare
Major Housecleaning Responsibilities
Regular Care for Elderly Person
Taking Courses Toward Degree/Diploma
Regular Commitment Outside Job
NO
Number
215
302
139
386
367
285
Percent
53%
75%
34%
96%
91%
71%
YES
Number
189
102
265
18
35
117
Percent
47%
25%
66%
4%
9%
29%
TOTAL
RESPONDING
404
404
404
404
402
402
Reference: Part IV, Question 7.
C-44
-------
Exhibit C-31: Window at Workstation
7055 T
Q Waterside Mall G Crystal Mall
D Fairchild
Reference: Part III, Question 6.
C-45
-------
Exhibit C-32a
Types of Furniture, Equipment and Changes
Within 15 Feet of Workstation. Waterside Mall
Metal Desk
Wood or Composition Desk
Metal Bookshelves or Bookcases
Wood or Composition Bookcases
File Cabinet(s)
Other Metal Furniture
Other Wood Furniture
Fabric-covered Partitions
Portable Humidifier
Laser Printer
Photocopy Machine
Live Plants
Carpeting
New Carpeting
New Drapes/Curtains
New Furniture
New Equipment
Walls Painted
Rearranged Walls
New/Continuing Water Leaks
No
f Resp.
1,703
579
1,185
882
575
1,411
662
1,557
2,577
1.671
2.323
1,366
45
2,295
2,717
1,582
951
2,159
2,289
2.501
% Resp.
60%
20%
41%
31%
19%
51%
23%
55%
96%
59%
85%
48%
1%
80%
96%
55%
33%
76%
81%
85%
Yes
# Resp.
1,138
2,349
1,717
1,970
2,385
1.348
2.197
1,260
121
1.147
401
1,473
3,000
562
105
1,282
1,941
692
549
433
% Resp.
40%
80%
59%
69%
81%
49%
77%
45%
4%
41%
15%
52%
99%
20%
4%
45%
67%
24%
19%
15%
Total
Responding
2,841
2,928
2,902
2.852
2,960
2.759
2.859
2.817
2,698
2,818
2.724
2.839
3.045
2,857
2,822
2,864
2.892
2.851
2,838
2.934
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. • Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part I, questions 7, 8,11 and 12.
C-46
-------
Exhibit C-32b
Types of Furniture, Equipment and Changes
Within 15 Feet of Workstation, Crystal Mall
Metal Desk
Wood or Composition Desk
Metal Bookshelves or Bookcases
Wood or Composition Bookcases
File Cabinet(s)
Other Metal Furniture
Other Wood Furniture
Fabric-covered Partitions
Portable Humidifier
Laser Printer
Photocopy Machine
Live Plants
Carpeting
New Carpeting
New Drapes/Curtains
New Furniture
New Equipment
Walls Painted
Rearranged Walls
New/Continuing Water Leaks
No
# Resp.
251
46
125
146
52
180
106
215
353
291
323
219
9
371
372
276
189
326
349
388
%Resp.
63%
11%
30%
37%
12%
47%
26%
53%
93%
75%
85%
54%
2%
92%
92%
67%
46%
81%
87%
93%
Yes
# Resp.
146
380
295
247
383
204
303
187
28
95
56
186
434
34
34
133
221
77
51
30
% Resp.
37%
89%
70%
63%
88%
53%
74%
47%
7%
25%
15%
46%
98%
8%
8%
33%
54%
19%
13%
7%
Total
Responding
397
426
420
393
435
384
409
402
381
386
379
405
443
405
406
409
410
403
400
418
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part I, questions 7, 8,11 and 12.
C-47
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Exhibit C-32c
Types of Furniture, Equipment and Changes
Within 15 Feet of Workstation, Fairchild Building
Metal Desk
Wood or Composition Desk
Metal Bookshelves or Bookcases
Wood or Composition Bookcases
File Cabinet(s)
Other Metal Furniture
Other Wood Furniture
Fabric-covered Partitions
Portable Humidifier
Laser Printer
Photocopy Machine
Live Plants
Carpeting
New Carpeting
New Drapes/Curtains
New Furniture
New Equipment
Walls Painted
Rearranged Walls
New/Continuing Water Leaks
No
# Resp.
166
136
175
156
111
166
127
67
338
210
283
194
3
326
337
193
112
340
272
356
% Resp.
43%
37%
46%
42%
29%
45%
35%
17%
97%
57%
81%
52%
1%
85%
89%
50%
28%
90%
71%
91%
Yes
# Resp.
218
234
204
212
275
201
241
326
10
157
68
180
356
57
43
194
281
38
110
35
% Resp.
57%
63%
54%
58%
71%
55%
65%
83%
3%
43%
19%
48%
99%
15%
11%
50%
72%
10%
29%
9%
Total
Responding
384
370
379
368
386
367
368
393
348
367
351
374
359
383
380
387
393
378
382
391
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part I, questions 7, 8,11 and 12.
C-48
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Exhibit C-33a
Items Used Regularly at Workstation, Last Year,
Waterside Mall
Portable Fan
Portable Air Filter
Portable Heater
Desk Lamp
No
# Resp.
1,430
2.524
2,067
1,457
% Resp.
52%
97%
78%
54%
Yes
# Resp.
1,300
84
596
1,256
% Resp.
48%
3%
22%
• 46%
Total
Responding
2,730
2,608
2.663
2,713
Exhibit C-33b
Items Used Regularly at Workstation, Last Year,
Crystal Mall
Portable Fan
Portable Air Filter
Portable Heater
Desk Lamp
No
# Resp.
211
341
356
219
% Resp.
55%
93%
97%
58%
Yes
# Resp.
170
24
10
157
% Resp.
45%
7%
3%
42%
Total
Responding
381
365
366
376
Exhibit C J3c
Items Used Regularly at Workstation, Last Year,
Fairchild Building
Portable Fan
Portable Air Filter
Portable Heater
Desk Lamp
No
# Resp.
227
337
319
198
% Resp.
64%
97%
92%
56%
Yes
f Resp.
130
9
28
158
% Resp.
36%
3%
8%
44%
Total
Responding
357
346
347
356
# Resp. - Number of Employees Responding.
% Resp. - Percentage of Employees Responding.
Reference: Part I, question 10.
C-49
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Exhibit C-34: History and Characterization of Respondents' Workplace at EPA Headquarters
Buildings
Years of Service with EPA
Ref: Ques. 1.2
Years Working in Building
Ref: Ques. I. 3. a
Years at Current Workstation
Ref: Ques. I. 4. a
WATERS It
Mean
8.4
years
6.9
2.5
)E MALL
Median
6.3
years
4.6
1.2
CRYSTAL
Mean
10.1
years
6.3
3.1
MALL
Median
10.0
years
5.2
2.0
FAIRC
Mean
7.4
years
3.5
2.0
HILD
Median
4.1
years
1.8
1.0
Hours/Week in Building
Ref: Ques. I.3.b
Hours/ Day at Workstation
Ref: Ques. I.4.b
Hours/ Day with Computer
Ref: Ques. I. 9. a
Hours/Day with Photocopy Mach.
Ref: Ques. I.9.b
Hours/Day with Photographic
Developing/ Process ing
Ref: Ques. I.9.c
Hours/Day with
Printing Processing
Ref: Ques. I.9.d
Hours/Day with Other Chemicals
Ref: Ques. I.9.e
41.5
hours
6.8
2.9
1.1
0.1
0.1
0.3
40.0
hours
7.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
41.1
hours
6.7
3.1
1.1
0.0
0.0
0.3
40.0
hours
7.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
40.8
hours
7.0
3.5
1.1
0.1
0.1
0.3
40.0
hours
7.0
3.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
-------
Exhibit C-35a
Summary of Responding Employees Years of Service
and Characterization of Workstation, Waterside Mall
Years of Service with EPA Ref.: Ques. 1.2
Years Working in Building Ref.: Ques. l.3.a
Hours/Week in Building Ref.: Ques. l.3.b
Years at Current Workstation Ref.: Ques. U.a
Hours/Day at Workstation Ref.: Ques. l.4.b
Hours/Day with Computer Ref.: Ques. l.9.a
Hours/Day with Photocopy Machine
Ref.: Ques. 1.9.b
Hours/Day with Photographic
Developing/Processing Ref.: Ques. l.9.c
Hours/Day with Printing Processing
Ref.: Ques. l.9.d
Hours/Day with Other Chemicals
Ref.: Ques. 1.9. e
Minimum
0.2
0.0
2.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
5th
Percentile
0.2
0.0
24.0
0.0
4.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
25th
Percentile
2.2
1.9
40.0
0.0
6.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
50th
Percentile
6.4
4.6
40.0
1.2
7.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
75th
Percentile
12.0
10.0
45.0
2.1
8.0
4.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
95th
Percentile
18.3
16.0
50.0
5.0
9.0
7.0
2.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
Maximum
38.8
19.0
77.0
19.0
12.0
12.0
12.0
8.0
9.0
9.0
Total
Responding
2.836
2,770
3,070
2.053
3,062
2.870
2,806
2.004
2.009
2.144
s
-------
Exhibit C-35b
Summary of Responding Employees Years of Service
and Characterization of Workstation. Crystal Mall
Years of Service with EPA Ref.: Ques. 1.2
Years Working in Building Ref.: Ques. l.3.a
Hours/Week in Building Ref.: Ques. l.3.b
Years at Current Workstation Ref.: Ques. l.4.a
Hours/Day at Workstation Ref.: Quea. 1.4.6
Hours/Day with Computer Ref.: Ques. l.9.a
Hours/Day with Photocopy Machine
Ref.: Ques. 1 .9.b
Hours/Day with Photographic
Developing/Processing Ref.: Ques. I.S.c
Hours/Day with Printing Processing
Ref.: Ques. l.9.d
Hours/Day with Other Chemicals
Ref.: Ques. 1.9. e
Minimum
0.6
0.6
8.0
0.3
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
5th
Percentile
0.6
0.6
24.0
0.3
3.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
25th
Percentile
3.8
2.3
40.0
0.4
6.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
50th
Percentile
10.0
5.8
40.0
2.0
7.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
75th
Percentila
14.7
8.8
45.0
3.0
8.0
4.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
95th
Percentile
19.0
12.2
50.0
7.0
9.0
7.0
2.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
Maximum
34.0
19.0
65.0
12.0
10.0
10.0
12.0
1.0
2.0
.
5.0
Total
Responding
422
413
448
340
441
415
406
258
258
258
2
K>
-------
Exhibit C-35C
Summary of Responding Employees Years of Service
and Characterization of Workstation, Fairchild Building
Years of Service with EPA Ref.: Ques. 1.2
Years Working in Building Ref.: Ques. l.3.a
Hours/Week in Building Ref.: Ques. l.a.b
Years at Current Workstation Ref.: Ques. l.4.a
Hours/Day at Workstation Ref.: Ques. l.4.b
Hours/Day with Computer Ref.: Ques. l.9.a
Hours/Day with Photocopy Machine
Ref.: Ques. 1.9.b
Hours/Day with Photographic '
Developing/Processing Ref.: Ques. I.9.C
Hours/Day with Printing Processing
Ref.: Ques. l.9.d
Hours/Day with Other Chemicals
Ref.: Ques. l.9.e
Minimum
0.3
0.3
4.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
5th
Percentile
0.3
0.3
20.0
0.2
4.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
25th
Percentile
1.7
1.0
40.0
0.2
6.0
1.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
50th
Percentile
4.1
1.8
40.0
1.0
7.0
3.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
75th
Percentile
10.0
4.0
45.0
2.0
8.0
5.0
1.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
95th
Percentile
18.0
9.0
52.0
4.0
9.0
8.0
2.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
Maximum
33.0
11.0
66.0
9.0
10.0
10.0
8.0
8.0
5.0
5.0
Total
Responding
357
327
407
274
403
386
371
258
258
273
s
-------
Exhibit C-36
FRESH AIR BREAKS
Percent of respondents
1-4 times per week >• 5 times per week
Waterside
Crystal I I Fairchild
Reference: Part III, question 9b
C-54
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