OR-10-063 -- Thermal Environment and Productivity in the Factory PDF

Field investigations of two different factories were carried out in Zhenjiang and Shanghai during the cool season to analyze the relation among indoor environment, humans, and productivity. In particular, this study examined the effect of the working environment and other factors on thermal comfort and productivity in factories. In this study, the mean thermal neutral temperature was 19.0 °C (or 66.2 °F) in the factory during the cool season. The results show that productivity (103.2% in Zhenjiang and 100.6% in Shanghai) does not reach its maximum when the occupants’ thermal sensation votes (TSV) are neutral or comfort. The highest productivity (105.1% in Zhenjiang and 104.7% in Shanghai) occurs when the TSV of the subjects is slightly cool. The productivity in a slightly warm state is 104.5% in Zhenjiang (103.4% in Shanghai), which is also higher than that in a neutral state. A slightly cooler or warmer environment might enhance productivity more than in a neutral, comfortable environment. People in an environment with good air quality supply could easily obtain high productivity if the thermal environment is acceptable. Compared with other factors, maintaining good indoor air quality might be the best way to maintain higher productivity for the factories in this survey.

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