Effects of thermal discomfort on performance of office work and physiological behaviours
The effects of thermal discomfort (feeling warm) on the performance of office work and physiological behaviours were investigated using behavioural, subjective, and physiological measures. Twelve participants (6 males and 6 females) performed different type of work including tasks typical of office work as well as neurobehavioral tests examining different component skills when thermally neutral (at 22℃) and thermally warm (at 30℃); the exposures were balanced for order of presentations. The tests were designed to examine whether the accuracy and speed at which the tasks were performed can be integrated into one measure of performance. Emotion, workload, SBS and fatigue symptoms, as well as motivation to do work were investigated with subjective questionnaires. Several physiological parameters including heart rate, energy consumption, respiratory parameters, biomarkers in saliva, and tear film quality were measured to investigate the mechanisms by which the thermal discomfort may affect the performance. The results show that thermal discomfort at 30~C increased SBS and fatigue symptoms and mood disturbance and decreased performance of office work. End-tidal CO2 partial pressure increased which indicated that CO2 concentration in the blood increased and hence induced physiological effects such as symptoms similar to SBS when participants were exposed to warm environment. Heart rate increased and more energy was consumed when participants felt thermally warm.
Thermal discomfort Simulated office work Neurobehavioral test Productivity Physiological behaviour
Li Lan Pawel Wargocki Zhiwei Lian Jφrn Toftum
Institute of Refrigeration & Cryogenics,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai,China International C International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy,Technical University of Denmark,Building 402, Institute of Refrigeration & Cryogenics,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai,China
国际会议
The 6th International Symposium on Heating,Ventilating and Air Conditioning(第六届国际暖通空调学术会议)
南京
英文
1086-1094
2009-11-06（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）