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The Impact of Workplace Heat and Cold on Work Time Loss
Leonidas G Ioannou1, Lydia Tsoutsoubi, Konstantinos Mantzios
1From the FAME Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece (L.G.I., L.T., K.M., G.G., G.A., Y.K., A.D.F.); Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark (L.G.I., L.N.); Department of Automatics, Biocybernetics and Robotics, Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia (L.G.I., L.T., I.B.M.); European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Seville, Spain (D.G.-L.); Environmental Ergonomics Research Centre, Loughborough Design School, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom (G.H.); Department of Economics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut (J.L., C.A.); La Isla Network, USA (J.G.); and Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (G.P.K., A.D.F.).
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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Body Temperature

