An ordinary afternoon at the office: the coworker next to you starts coughing and wheezing, clutches their chest, and can’t finish a sentence. Many people freeze, unsure what to do. In reality, an asthma attack can happen in any workplace and can be life-threatening, but the people around can help a great deal if they know a few simple principles: help the person sit upright, support them in using their own reliever medication correctly, watch how they respond, and know when to call emergency services.
Can an Asthma Attack Happen at the Office?
Yes. According to the American Lung Association, about 1 in 12 adults has asthma, and around 21.5% of working adults with asthma say workplace exposures make their asthma worse. Common workplace triggers include mold, dusts, gases, fumes and vapors, secondhand smoke, cleaning chemicals, scented personal care products, pests (dust mites, cockroaches, mice), and stress.
Mayo Clinic’s list of general triggers adds allergens (pollen, pets, mold, dust mites), colds and flu, tobacco smoke, cold dry air, exercise, acid reflux, air pollution or irritating chemicals, certain pain relievers (aspirin, NSAIDs), and anxiety or depression. So a strong cleaning product, renovation dust, a dusty air-conditioner, or a stressful meeting can all set off an attack in someone susceptible.
Recognizing an Asthma Attack
The familiar signs are wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Mayo Clinic lists severe signs as gasping for breath, trouble speaking, straining chest muscles, symptoms that worsen when lying on the back, and heavy sweating. The NHS stresses that an asthma attack means real difficulty breathing and can be life-threatening.
What Should Colleagues Do? 6 Steps
Step 1. Stay calm and help them sit upright
The NHS and Australian asthma first aid guidance (Asthma Australia, via Better Health Victoria) both advise having the person sit upright, stay calm, and not be left alone. Healthline adds moving the person away from suspected triggers such as smoke or strong fragrances. Practical suggestion from this article: speak slowly and reassuringly, and keep onlookers from crowding them.
Step 2. Help them get their own reliever inhaler
Ask whether they carry a reliever inhaler (usually the blue one) and where it is. Use a spacer if there is one. Support them in following their own personal asthma action plan if they have one; the NHS notes that if the plan gives a different maximum dose, the plan takes priority.
Step 3. Support dosing as directed
Health organizations describe slightly different protocols, so follow the person’s own plan and the emergency operator’s instructions first:
| Source | Typical reliever dosing |
| NHS (UK) | Blue reliever inhaler: 1 puff every 30–60 seconds until better, up to 10 puffs; shake between puffs and use a spacer if available. AIR or MART inhalers: 1 puff every 1–3 minutes, up to 6 puffs. |
| Australia (Asthma Australia, Better Health Victoria) | Shake, give 1 puff into a spacer and have the person take 4 breaths; repeat until 4 puffs are given. Without a spacer: 1 puff as the person takes one slow, deep breath, then hold it as long as comfortable. Wait 4 minutes; if no improvement, give 4 more puffs and continue every 4 minutes until help arrives (some products such as Bricanyl or Symbicort have their own dosing). |
On using someone else’s inhaler: sources don’t fully agree. Better Health Victoria says that if you’re unsure whether someone is having an asthma attack, a blue reliever is unlikely to cause harm, while Healthline advises against using another person’s inhaler, even in an emergency, because medications are tailored to each individual. The safest course is to prioritize the person’s own medication. If no reliever is available, call emergency services right away (see Step 4) and follow the operator’s instructions.
Step 4. Know when to call emergency services (115 in Vietnam)
According to the NHS and Asthma Australia, call when:
- Symptoms get worse at any point.
- There’s no improvement after the maximum reliever dose.
- No reliever inhaler is available.
- The person is not breathing, or you’re not sure it’s asthma.
- The person has known anaphylaxis: Better Health Victoria says to give the adrenaline autoinjector first, then the reliever.
- There are life-threatening signs such as gasping for air, blue lips, collapse, or little or no relief from the reliever (Better Health Victoria). Healthline also lists being able to say only a few words, chest muscles hurting from the effort of breathing, and exhaustion or feeling faint.
Mayo Clinic also lists severe symptoms, symptoms that worsen or don’t improve after quick-relief medication, and no action plan with quick-relief medicine not helping as emergency signs.
Step 5. If the ambulance hasn’t arrived after 10 minutes
The NHS says that if symptoms aren’t better after 10 minutes and no ambulance has arrived, the inhaler can be used again up to the same maximum dose. Asthma Australia advises repeating every 4 minutes until help arrives. Meanwhile, stay with the person and watch their breathing and ability to speak.
Step 6. Don’t let them drive themselves to the hospital
The NHS advises not driving yourself to A&E and following the call handler’s advice. Practical suggestion from this article: send a colleague to meet the ambulance at the building entrance or lift, and alert your safety officer or first-aid lead.
What Not to Do
This section is the article’s own practical advice, consistent with the guidance above:
- Don’t leave the person alone, even if they say they’re fine.
- Don’t make them lie down; let them sit upright.
- Don’t wait to “see if it passes” while symptoms are worsening.
- Don’t hesitate to call because you fear overreacting: the sources treat worsening symptoms or no reliever on hand as reasons to call.
After the Attack
Even if they feel better, the NHS advises seeing a GP within 2 days to review treatment and lower the risk of another attack. Practical suggestion from this article: colleagues can help by letting them rest, arranging time for the appointment, and joining in reporting any suspected workplace cause.
What Workplaces and Colleagues Can Prepare in Advance
According to the American Lung Association, employers can:
- Identify and remove sources of indoor air pollution, and keep ventilation working and unblocked.
- Choose safer cleaning products and review safety data sheets.
- Adopt a tobacco-free policy.
- Employees can watch for unhealthy conditions and report them to supervisors or building management, and report respiratory symptoms to the health or safety officer, since coworkers may be affected too.
Practical extras (based on the principles above): encourage colleagues with asthma to share their action plan and the location of their reliever with someone they trust, and run first-aid briefings for the team.
The Bottom Line
When a colleague has an acute asthma attack, you don’t need to be a medical professional. Help them sit upright, stay calm, support them in using their own reliever according to their personal plan, watch their response, and call emergency services (115 in Vietnam) if symptoms worsen, don’t improve, or no reliever is available. A few minutes of the right action can make a big difference.
This article synthesizes and paraphrases the sources below and is for general educational purposes only; it does not replace professional medical advice. Protocols vary between countries and individuals; prioritize the personal asthma action plan from the person’s doctor and the emergency operator’s instructions. If you suspect an emergency, call your local emergency number immediately (115 in Vietnam).
Sources referenced:
- NHS (UK), Asthma attack (nhs.uk/conditions/asthma/asthma-attack)
- Better Health Channel (Victoria, Australia), Asthma emergency first aid (betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/asthma-emergency-first-aid); Asthma Australia, Asthma First Aid (asthma.org.au)
- Mayo Clinic, Asthma attack: Symptoms and causes (mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma-attack/symptoms-causes/syc-20354268)
- American Lung Association, Asthma in the Workplace (lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/living-with-asthma/creating-asthma-friendly-environments/asthma-in-the-workplace)
- Healthline, First aid for an asthma attack (healthline.com/health/asthma/first-aid-for-asthma-attack)