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Evaluation of draught in the workplace.
Barbara Griefahn1, Christa Künemund, Ulrike Gehring
1Institute for Occupational Physiology at the University of Dortmund, Ardeystr. 67, D-44139 Dortmund, Germany. griefahn@arb-phys.uni-dortmund.de
Ergonomics
|April 20, 2002
Summary
Draught annoyance increases with air speed and turbulence, and decreases with warmer temperatures and higher metabolic rates. A modified model accurately predicts these responses, suggesting it replace the current ISO standard for better accuracy across wider conditions.
Area of Science:
- Building science
- Environmental psychology
- Human comfort
Background:
- Thermal comfort is crucial for indoor environments.
- Existing models for predicting draught annoyance have limitations.
- Understanding factors influencing perceived comfort is essential for building design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of various environmental factors on draught annoyance.
- To develop and validate a more accurate predictive model for draught-induced annoyance.
- To propose an updated standard for assessing thermal comfort in relation to air movement.
Main Methods:
- 107 participants experienced controlled draught conditions varying air velocity, turbulence, temperature, and metabolic rate.
- Participants reported annoyance levels using a standardized body part list.
- Statistical analysis was used to correlate environmental parameters with reported annoyance.
Main Results:
- Draught annoyance significantly increased with higher air velocity and turbulence intensity.
- Lower air temperatures and reduced metabolic rates also led to increased annoyance.
- A modified predictive model showed high agreement with observed annoyance levels (r=0.726).
Conclusions:
- The study identified key drivers of draught annoyance, including air velocity, turbulence, temperature, and metabolic rate.
- A refined predictive model offers improved accuracy for a broader range of conditions compared to existing standards.
- The findings support updating the ISO 7730 standard for better prediction of occupant comfort and annoyance due to draughts.