The impact of workplace heat and cold on work time loss.

Journal of occupational and environmental medicine Pub Date : 2025-02-07 DOI:10.1097/JOM.0000000000003332

Leonidas G Ioannou, Lydia Tsoutsoubi, Konstantinos Mantzios, Georgios Gkikas, Gerasimos Agaliotis, Yiannis Koutedakis, David García-León, George Havenith, Jack Liang, Costas Arkolakis, Jason Glaser, Glen P Kenny, Igor B Mekjavic, Lars Nybo, Andreas D Flouris

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Abstract

Abstract: 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 sec). 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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