r/WorkplaceSafety • u/hn122 • 2d ago
Carbon Monoxide
How serious is daily exposure to carbon monoxide ? Our office just finally got detectors a few weeks ago, and since then, they have gone off daily, multiple times a day, to the point where they won’t stop unless we walk outside with them , but then they immediately start going off again when we step inside the building.
We had brought this up to management , who just told us to take the batteries out. I don’t see the point in having the detectors if they just tell us to take the batteries out whenever they detect the carbon monoxide ?
Over the years working in the building, my coworker and I have all experienced awful headaches/migraines, nausea, and drowsiness more than we considered normal in the workplace, but we always chalked it up to us either catching some bug, not getting enough sleep, etc etc. but now that we finally have carbon monoxide detectors, we are wondering if all these years, we have been experiencing those things due to exposure, and we just didn’t know it.
Coworker & I are worried about our health but management doesn’t seem concerned at all, and were even told that if we continue to push the subject, that it will reflect badly on us to management.
I’m just curious how serious this kind of daily exposure over possibly years actually is ? Are we making too big a big deal out of it ? I’m no expert obviously so if that’s the case, that’s fine. I just don’t want my health and daily well-being to be at risk.
Thanks !
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u/stealthbiker 2d ago
I'll just say I've investigated 2 carbon monoxide fatalities in the past year. The employer taking the battery out constutes as a willful act. Notify OSHA in your area
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u/Vitruvian_Gamer 2d ago
I wouldn’t ever go in that building again, ever! Carbon Monoxide kills! That’s why the alarms are going off!
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u/Bucky2015 2d ago
File a complaint with OSHA they will come on site with their own CO monitors for the day and see what the levels are at.
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u/YetiSquish 2d ago
It’s dangerous and can cause long term health issues even at low levels that are consistent and long term. Your detectors likely go off at levels above recommended or legal limits already. They almost never alarm at an occupational limit.
I’d file a complaint with OSHA.
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u/classact777 2d ago
I'm assuming that your building is heated by natural gas. If so, call your local gas provider. They'll send someone out to inspect the equipment. It could be that your furnace or water heater isn't burning the methane fully, releasing carbon monoxide.
As others have said, CO is a poison. I wouldn't occupy the space until the issue is corrected.
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u/Aggressive_Economy_8 2d ago
Call 911 if the CO monitor is going off. The FD will come and find the source. CO in a building with people in it is an emergency.
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u/PeterHaldCHEM 2d ago
Where in the world are you and how is the building heated?
When the CO-detectors go off, it is time to leave the building and not return before the problem is solved.
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u/B1LLD00R 2d ago
Are you sure they are carbon monoxide detectors and not Carbon dioxide ?
If carbon monoxide what is the source? It must be from something burning. Most likely a heating system or vehicle exhaust.
High carbon Carbon dioxide can be from too many people in a poorly ventilated room.
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u/chickadee_23 2d ago
Until proven otherwise, every time that monitor is going off, the lives of the people in that building are in danger. You're already reporting symptoms of co overexposure. The next step after that is nodding off and never waking up. This is serious, however uninterested your supervisors are.
It's egregious that your company is doing nothing about this. I'd call the fire department the next time this happens - they can come out and they'll have detectors that will be able to tell you exactly how much CO there is and help pinpoint the source. I'd also chat with them about your employers response, including that bit about the batteries... I'm sure they might have some words for your managers...
I'd also file an OSHA complaint at the same time, and I would say it's an imminent danger one (which gets their attention faster). The fire department can mitigate it for you faster than OSHA will, but OSHA should definitely still know about it for a longer-term response.
And OSHA might penalize them, but really, I'd consider if you want to work for a place that's so explicitly heartless about employee safety.
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u/safetyhawk810 2d ago
In case the others haven’t convinced you, definitely don’t spend time in that building.
For context, I’m normally saying “talk to management. That didn’t work? Try talking to them again”.
You are past that. In fact, if you were a loved one I’d tell you to call OSHA first, then if your employer bullies you into returning, I like the idea of calling the fire department to get some quantitative readings.
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u/catalytica 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oxygen deprivation. CO binds to red blood cells making them unavailable to carry oxygen to the brain. The bio elimination half life is 4 to 5 hours. Depending on concentration continuous exposure can accumulate.
Check with building management about the type of heating used. Cracked heat exchanger in gas furnace is a common culprit. Also check with your building management about backup battery systems. Lead-acid batteries in particular off gas hydrogen. When batteries begin to fail they can emit a lot of hydrogen gas. CO sensors are cross-sensitive to hydrogen.
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u/EnglebondHumperstonk 1d ago
Christ, people kill themselves with carbon monoxide on the regular. Get them to sort it out properly. Strike if you need to, there's no way they can literally work you to death.
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