Risk Factors Associated with Sick Building Syndrome Among Workers in High-Rise Office Buildings

Widya Ayu Oktavia, Onny Setiani, Tri Joko, Sulistiyani Sulistiyani, Suhartono Suhartono

Abstract


Indoor air quality is one of the crucial aspects of the work environment. Poor workplace conditions not only reduce comfort and job satisfaction but also significantly affect work productivity. One clinical manifestation of poor office environmental quality is the emergence of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). The etiology of SBS is multifactorial, involving complex interactions between physical environmental factors (temperature, humidity, particulate dust), chemical factors (VOCs, CO₂), and biological agents, as well as individual characteristics and psychosocial conditions. This study aimed to determine the risk factors associated with the occurrence of SBS among employees of the Central Java Provincial Archives and Library Office. This research employed an analytical observational approach with a cross-sectional design involving 93 employees as respondents. The results showed that the average indoor air quality measurements in the work areas were as follows: humidity 56.30%, temperature 27.85oC, lighting intensity 170.04 lux, and air change per hour 3.43 times/hour. The prevalence of SBS among employees was 58.1%. There was not a significant association between temperature (p=0.035; RP=1.840), humidity (p=0.085; RP=0.712), lighting (p=0.121; RP=0.733), and ACH (p=0.791; RP=1.088) with SBS. In conclusion, this study identified no relationship between indoor air quality and the incidence of SBS among employees of the Central Java Provincial Archives and Library Office.

 

Keywords:  Indoor Air Quality, Sick Building Syndrome, Risk Factors, Workers.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdullah, M. S. M., Rosli, M. A., Hariri, A., Damanhuri, A. A. M., Tamtama, B. F., Ebas, N. A., & Noraini, N. M. R. (2025). Evaluation of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Symptoms and Measurement of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Parameter in One of Hospital Building in Johor. Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Sciences and Engineering Technology, 52(2), 139-147. https://doi.org/10.37934/araset.52.2.139147

Abu, A., Abdullah, S., Nursyahirah, A., Najah, A., Fakhratul, M., Zulkifli, R., Mat, S., & Ismail, M. (2024). Dialogues in Health Indoor air quality and sick building syndrome symptoms in administrative office at public university. Dialogues in Health, 4(January), 100178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dialog.2024.100178

Adiningsih, R., & Hairuddin, M. C. (2021). The Incidence of Sick Building Syndrome and Its Causes on Employees at the Governor's Office of West Sulawesi Province. Indonesian Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 10(2), 153-160. https://doi.org/10.20473/ijosh.v10i2.2021.153-160

Alwi, N. S., Hassim, M. H., & Hamzah, N. A. (2021). Indoor Air Quality and Sick Building Syndrome among Garment Manufacturing Workers in Kota Bharu , Kelantan. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 17, 51-58.

Bardi, N. K., Fachrin, S. A., Arman, & Tussaadah, N. (2021). Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Keluhan Sick Building Syndrome Pegawai PLN UIW Sulselrabar Kota Makassar. Window of Public Health Journal, 2(2), 272-280. https://doi.org/10.33096/woph.v2i2.149

Delviana, Fitri, A. D., & Mariana. (2024). Survey of Association Between Indoor CO and CO2 Levels and Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome Among Employees at Alang-Alang Lebar and Plaju Health Centers. Sriwijaya Journal of Medicine, 7(2), 103-112. https://doi.org/10.32539/SJM.v7i2.250

Drastyana, S. F., Ambag, S. C., Ningrum, L. D. W., & Sut. (2024). The Impact of Sick Building Syndrome and Physical Air Quality on Staff Productivity in The Hospital's Outpatient Room of Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Haji Indonesia. Journal of Environmental Health, 16(2), 144-152. https://doi.org/10.20473/jkl.v16i2.2024.144-152

Hou, J., Sun, Y., Dai, X., Liu, J., Shen, X., Tan, H., Yin, H., Huang, K., Gao, Y., Lai, D., Hong, W., Zhai, X., Norbäck, D., & Chen, Q. (2021). Associations of indoor carbon dioxide concentrations , air temperature , and humidity with perceived air quality and sick building syndrome symptoms in Chinese homes. Wiley, February, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12810

Isman, N. I. I., Jalaludin, J., Suhaimi, N. F., Hashim, F., & Tualeka, A. R. (2024). Association Between Indoor Air Quality and Sick Building Syndrome Among Workers in Food Outlets in Selangor, Malaysia. Jurnal Kesehatan Lingkungan, 16(4), 331-341. https://doi.org/10.20473/jkl.v16i4.2024.331-341

Larasati, D. N., & Wahyuningsih, A. S. (2023). Faktor yang Berhubungan dengan Gejala Sick Building Syndrome. Indonesian Journal of Public Health and Nutrition, 3(2), 159-168.

Lu, C., Lin, J., Chen, Y., & Chen, Y. (2015). Building-Related Symptoms among Office Employees Associated with Indoor Carbon Dioxide and Total Volatile Organic Compounds. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12, 5833-5845. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120605833

PerMenKes No. 48 Tahun 2016 Tentang Standar Dan Kesehatan Kerja Perkantoran (2016).

Putri, C. P. A., Rahardjo, M., & Wahyuningsih, N. E. (2020). Hubungan Kualitas Udara Dalam Ruang dengan Kejadian Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) pada Karyawan PT PLN (Persero) Unit Distribusi Jawa Tengah dan DI Yogyakarta. Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia, 19(3), 219-225. https://doi.org/10.14710/mkmi.19.3.219-225

Quoc, C. H., Huong, G. V., & Duc, H. N. (2020). Working Conditions and Sick Building Syndrome among Health Care Workers in Vietnam. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Article, 17, 2-11.

Robertson, P. (2024, May 7). ASHRAE Recommended Air Changes Per Hour. Smart Air. https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/ashrae-per-hour-office-residential-school-virus/

Rozi, C., Joko, T., & Nurjazuli. (2025). Faktor Risiko Kesehatan Lingkungan Yang Berpengaruh Terhadap Kejadian Sick Building Syndrome Pada Pegawai Di Gedung Perkantoran. HJK : Holistik Jurnal Kesehatan, 19(3), 586-595.

Saijo, Y., Yoshioka, E., Sato, Y., Shiotsuki, H., Nakanishi, K., Kato, Y., Nagaya, K., Takahashi, S., Ito, Y., Ikeda, A., Iwata, H., Yamaguchi, T., Kishi, R., Kamijima, M., Yamazaki, S., Fukami, M., Kishi, R., Ota, C., Hashimoto, K., … Katoh, T. (2025). Sick building syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, and related factors: A cross-sectional analysis from the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Plos One, 20(6 June), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324562

Subri, M. S. M., Arifin, K., Sohaimin, M. F. A. M., & Abas, A. (2024). The parameter of the Sick Building Syndrome: A systematic literature review. Heliyon, 10(12), e32431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32431

Suryadi, I., Hidayat, & Wulandary, F. (2021). Faktor Risiko Keluhan Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) di Pekerja Perkantoran. Journal of Noncommunicable Diseases, 4(1), 55-64.

Thongchom, T., On-si, N., Puongphan, C., Chumprasittichok, T., & Neamhom, T. (2021). Health Risks from Indoor PM10 and Effects of Sick Building Syndrome in Office Workers. Thai Journal of Public Health, 51(2), 170-180.

Weng, J., Huang, F., Lin, J., Wang, Q., Ying, X., Sun, Y., & Tan, Y. (2025). Sick Building Syndrome: Prevalence and Risk Factors Among Medical Staff in Chinese Hospitals. Buildings, 15(9), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15091397

Wibisono, A. R., Nurjazuli, N., Joko, T., & Suhartono. (2022). Faktor Risiko Kejadian Sick Building Syndrome Pada Pegawai Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Dan Kehutanan Provinsi Jawa Tengah. Jurnal Kesehatan Lingkungan: Jurnal Dan Aplikasi Teknik Kesehatan Lingkungan, 19(2), 275-282. https://doi.org/10.31964/jkl.v19i2.493

Zhang, Y., Guo, Z., Zhuo, L., An, N., & Han, Y. (2023). Ventilation Strategies for Highly Occupied Public Environments : A Review. MDPI Buildings, 13(1642), 1-24.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30829/contagion.v8i1.26719

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Widya Ayu Oktavia, Onny Setiani, Tri Joko, Sulistiyani Sulistiyani, Suhartono Suhartono

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Contagion: Scientific Periodical Journal of Public Health and Coastal Health by Program Studi Ilmu Kesehatan Masyarakat is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.