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The Impact of Workplace Heat and Cold on Work Time Loss
Leonidas G Ioannou, Lydia Tsoutsoubi, Konstantinos Mantzios1
1FAME Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Trikala, 42100, Greece.
Objective:
We investigated the impact of workplace heat and cold on work time loss.
Methods:
Field experiments in different industrial sectors were conducted in multiple countries across all seasons between 2016 and 2024. Hundreds of workers were video recorded, and their full shifts (n = 603) were analyzed on a second-by-second basis (n = 16,065,501 seconds). Environmental data were recorded using portable weather stations. The Workplace Environmental Labor Loss (WELL) functions were developed to describe work time loss due to workplace temperature.
Results:
The WELL functions revealed a U-shaped relationship whereby the least work time loss is observed at 18°C (64°F) and increases for every degree above or below this optimal temperature.
Conclusions:
The WELL functions quantify the impact of workplace temperature on work time loss, extending to temperatures previously believed to be unaffected.
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