INDOOR AIR QUALITY BEHAVIOUR
found to correlate with spot measurements of ventilation.11
performance from Northern Europe valid in warmer climates?
Q
in Singapore.5 Indicators
on productivity? Until we know which pollutants are causing the negative effects on people, the outdoor air supply rate per person seems to be the most reliable indica tor.13
Q
pre dict performance effects? No. Sensory habituation ensures that increasingly poor air quality may be un derestimated, except by visitors.3
Q
So far there is no reliable evidence that they can. Self-estimated productiv ity may simply indicate the effort they are aware of exerting,3 and/or wishful thinking and a desire to placate manage ment.
Q
performance? Air temperature is not a reliable in dicator in any absolute sense, because performance is a function of the heat balance of the body,
Q
What is the most reliable indicator of thermal effects on
Can occupants reliably assess their own productivity?
Can subjective assessments of IAQ by occupants be used to
What seems to be the most reliable indicator of IAQ effects
Yes. Very similar results were ob tained when the
same experiments were repeated
Are research fi ndings on
which is affected by clothing, metabolic rate, air velocity, and so on. But in a given work situation it is a very useful basis for comparison. In the cold, manual dexterity is progres sively impaired as the body actively reduces fi nger temperature to conserve heat, while in slightly warm conditions, mental performance has been found to decrease when fi nger temperatures ap proach their maximum value of about 36°C and sweating must be ini tiated to maintain the body’s heat
bal ance. Finger temperatures in the 30°C to 34°C range are, therefore, a reliable indicator that ther mal conditions are optimal for most kinds of performance.
effects on perfor mance? Not always. They may be able to avoid discomfort by working less. This im plies that the adaptive model of thermal comfort should not be used in isolation to justify energy conservation measures, because that could lead to conditions that cause suboptimal performance and productivity.6
Q
effects on produc tivity? Yes, in theory, because they do co-vary. But the data is still too meager to create a robust relationship.5
Q
Poor ventilation does increase absen- teeism,14 but so do many other factors.
Q
air, provide an alternative to going outside? No. They will not be opened spon taneously unless it is also warm. Also, opening windows will often be seen as a waste of heating or cooling energy.
Q
No. It can even have the reverse effect if it passes through particulate fi lters that are full of dust.4
Q
There is no evidence that it does, even though dust is expected to have nega tive effects on chronic health problems.
Q 38 CIBSE Journal May 2013
www.cibsejournal.com
Does airborne dust affect perfor mance?
Does increased outdoor airfl ow al ways improve performance?
Mitigation
Could openable windows, giving children access to fresh
Is absenteeism a useful indicator of ef fects on productivity?
Can we use sick building syndrome symptoms to predict
Do occupants’ assessments of thermal discomfort predict
humidity
DOES LOW RELATIVE AFFECT PERFORMANCE?
factory workers poorindoor
ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO AIR QUALITY?
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