Work stress

for over a year we were told that the whole floor above our office was going to be renovated. i kept asking what was going to be done. i had breathing issues for over a year in the past and was concerned about the construction dust. i told my boss about my concerns and again asked what was going to be done. she kept saying she did not know anything. about a week before the new year, a random person from the floor above us mentioned that the demolition would start on jan 2. i was so worried. i told my coworkers i did not want to be around when demolition started. they said they weren't worried and that i shouldn't be either. on jan 4 i finally got a hold of the construction foreman and he said they were just going to break down a small room, repaint and recarpet. he said it would take one year. in my mind, if something was going to take one year, the renovation would be more extensive than what he told me. on jan 8 one of the construction workers told me the whole ceiling would be coming down. i freaked out and asked the big boss if i could go home even though we would have no coverage for the front desk. (our office usually does not get any walk-ins and maybe just one phone call a day) i even offered to field incoming calls from home. (which i did) the big boss said i could go home. without any new updates, i did not go back to work for two weeks. (i got the okay from my immediate boss) when i finally went back for a few hours, i was met with a cold shoulder by one of my coworkers and the big boss seemed peeved with me. i don't feel i did anything wrong. i repeatedly asked about the renovations but no one in my office ever gave me any information. i had to dig for the info that i received. in my mind, i had to do what was best for my health. i feel management was the one who let me down. i want to quit so badly but my immediate boss would have to do my work so she doesn't want me to leave. i just want to go.

Where would you go if you quit this job? Do you have alternatives? Do you have a back-up plan?

thanks for your reply! i have temped in the past and can always go back to that. also there is such a shortage of workers that this is the best time to look for a job.

here's an update-i found out the ceiling that was taken down was a drop ceiling so that should not have involved any demolition. (that one room was demolished) we do hear a lot of grinding of wood or metal. (i was told not to go and look due to liability) the air in our office seems ok but once in a while i will smell sawed wood (or metal?) i am still uneasy. i will always wonder if the dust is in our office. that is just how i am. at least i found out they can open the windows upstairs so at least they are ventilating some. am working only two hours a day now and using my vacation leave to cover the rest of the day. after wearing a mask for two hours, my lungs feel stressed.. my job duties are such that i cannot telework.

If you live in the US, call OSHA. Employees have the right to a healthy work environment free from recognized hazards. Getting a doctor's note would help too. Sometimes, you can have state-level OSHA type offices. Depending on how loud the noise is, you may need hearing protection.