Testing for Allergies

Around 50 million people suffer from allergies. Allergy symptoms vary depending upon the person. Some symptoms may be mild, moderate, or severe. Most people with mild allergies experience sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, running or stuffy nose, head congestion, and coughing.

Allergies cost employers lost production costs and sick leave time because the symptoms are often similar to that of the common cold. Your eyes could swell up to the point that you cannot even see out of them anymore. The difference with a head cold and allergies is that you will see an improvement in your head cold symptoms in a week or two; with allergies you won't see an improvement until you are no longer exposed to the allergen.

Testing for Allergies
If you have taken measures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, you may want to have your employees tested for allergies. Allergy testing is fairly simple. If you have skin allergies, you will have a skin test done. The skin tests consist of a puncture, prick or scratch test, intradermal test, and patch test.

The puncture, prick or scratch test (percutaneous) test is the most commonly used test. Tiny drops of purified allergen are pricked or scratched into your skin's surface. Your doctor will then observe your skin to see if there are any reactions. Most people that need a skin test are found to be allergic to pollen, mold, dust mites, foods, insect venom, pet dander, and penicillin.

Intradermal test (intracutaneous) is when purified allergens are injected into the skin of your arm. Most doctors use this test if they suspect you are allergic to penicillin or insect venom. A patch test (epicutaneous) is when a patch containing an allergen is applied to you skin. Most patients who have a patch test done are allergic to latex, medications, fragrances, preservatives, metal, resins, and hair dyes.

You may experience some redness and itching after a skin test is done. This is common and will subside within a few hours. Avoid scratching the skin as this may cause the redness to spread. Most itching can be relieved with hydrocortisone cream.

Preventing Allergies in the Office
The best solution for allergy relief is to avoid the particular allergen in the beginning. Of course this is easier said than done. Employers can do simple things to cut-down on the allergens their employees are exposed to.

Keeping the office clean is the easiest way to reduce the allergens in the office. Make sure the carpets are vacuumed each day and that the office is dusted once or twice a week. Make sure the vacuuming occurs when the employees have gone home for the day because dust could circulate through the air and cause their allergies to worsen. You may want to consider replacing your carpet flooring with laminate or hardwood flooring because allergens cannot stick to it as easy.

Have all of the chairs and furniture in the office professionally cleaned. Allergens stick to fabric and upholstered surfaces. If you can keep them clean, you can reduce your employee's exposure to allergens.

Make sure the air is being circulated in the office. Purchase fans to move the air in the rooms if you do not have a good ventilation system. Air purifiers are another great investment for companies that are trying to reduce allergies in the workplace. Air purifiers will keep the air free from dust, pollen, mold, animal dander, bacteria, and odors.

Consider removing all plants from your building. Plants are a breeding ground for mold because of the moist solid. People that are allergic to molds will experience allergy symptoms all day until the plants are removed or until their medication starts to work.