Assessment of thermal comfort levels in aviary workers

Abstract Background The occurrence of biohazards in avian work environments has been a cause of concern. Additionally, studies on this working environment carried out by Health and Safety at Work professionals are scarce. The weaknesses of birds regarding ideal temperatures for development, depending on their gestational stage is well known. Now it is important to look into the effects temperatures inside the aviaries have on workers and specifically the contrast of these with external temperatures in winter time. Methods The goal of this study is to assess thermal comfort through the use of the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) and PPD (Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied) indexes. It was carried out at 8 aviaries belonging to two separate companies, located in Portugal. The target-population was the workforce of the two companies, making up a total of 6 employees. Measurements of environmental parameters were carried out (radiating temperature, relative humidity, air temperature and air speed), as well as individual parameters related to thermal comfort (metabolic rate and thermal resistance of workers clothing) inside and outside the aviaries. This study is classified as a level III (co relational) observational and analytical study, with a cross-section cut and a convenience non-probabilistic sampling type. Results The thermal discomfort suffered by these workers in an avian environment was noteworthy, when exposed to different, contrasting temperatures, particularly in the winter season. Conclusions Despite the different personal characteristics, it is possible to create environments that are thermally acceptable, that is, to satisfy the majority of its occupants.

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Experimental Investigation of Adaptive Thermal Comfort in French Healthcare Buildings

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings11110551 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 551

Author(s):

Zoubayre El Akili ◽

Youcef Bouzidi ◽

Abdelatif Merabtine ◽

Guillaume Polidori ◽

Amal Chkeir

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Winter Season ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Predicted Mean Vote ◽

Adaptive Thermal Comfort ◽

Important Research Topic ◽

Radiant Temperature ◽

The Relationship

The thermal comfort requirements of disabled people in healthcare buildings are an important research topic that concerns a specific population with medical conditions impacted by the indoor environment. This paper experimentally investigated adaptive thermal comfort in buildings belonging to the Association of Parents of Disabled Children, located in the city of Troyes, France, during the winter season. Thermal comfort was evaluated using subjective measurements and objective physical parameters. The thermal sensations of respondents were determined by questionnaires adapted to their disability. Indoor environmental parameters such as relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air temperature, and air velocity were measured using a thermal microclimate station during winter in February and March 2020. The main results indicated a strong correlation between operative temperature, predicted mean vote, and adaptive predicted mean vote, with the adaptive temperature estimated at around 21.65 °C. These findings highlighted the need to propose an adaptive thermal comfort strategy. Thus, a new adaptive model of the predicted mean vote was proposed and discussed, with a focus on the relationship between patient sensations and the thermal environment.

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Thermal comfort and draught assessment in a modern open office building in Tallinn

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201911102013 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 111 ◽

pp. 02013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Martin Kiil ◽

Alo Mikola ◽

Martin Thalfeldt ◽

Jarek Kurnitski

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Working Environment ◽

Office Building ◽

Indoor Climate ◽

Air Velocity ◽

Air Exchange Rate ◽

Air Speed ◽

Open Office

Modern office building users have high expectations about the working environment and thermal comfort, which requires the installation of complex technical systems such as combined cooling and ventilation. Room conditioning units of these systems must ensure temperature and ventilation control in a way that air velocity is low and the air temperature in acceptable range. Achieving air distribution avoiding draught is one of the key elements of a thermal comfort in modern office landscape. Higher air velocity in occupied zone is easily perceived as draught, which causes occupant dissatisfaction and complaints, as well as decrease in the productivity or effective floor space area. To reduce complaints, room air temperature setpoints or ventilation airflow rates are often modified, which may result in higher heating energy demand. In addition, excessive heating setpoint rise will not only consume more energy, but may cause health problems. Compared to cellular offices it is more difficult to ensure thermal comfort conditions in open office spaces where there are no walls for air flows. In addition, due to the higher number of employees it is more difficult to meet satisfactory conditions for everyone. The aim of this study was to evaluate thermal comfort parameters such as room air temperature, air speed and supply air temperature and how the users sense it in a modern office building in Tallinn, Estonia. Design room air temperature setpoints and air exchange rate were evaluated on open office spaces. Measured data with web-based indoor climate questionnaire was analysed. Results show which design and measured parameters make it possible to match the user comfort at all times.

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Effect of Technical Expertise Engagement in Monitoring and Evaluation on Performance of Residential Construction Projects in Kajiado County

International Journal of Business Management, Entrepreneurship and Innovation ◽

10.35942/jbmed.v3i3.217 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 72-81

Author(s):

Catherine Mutheu Muumbi ◽

Perris Wambui Chege

Keyword(s):

Construction Projects ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Target Population ◽

Project Managers ◽

Residential Construction ◽

Technical Expertise ◽

Probabilistic Sampling ◽

Descriptive Research ◽

Safety Considerations

Performance of residential construction projects in Kenya has had a bumpy ride resulting to unfinished stalled buildings, cost and time overruns, low quality houses and lack of health and safety considerations. The research study pursued to ascertain the influence of technical expertise engagement on performance of residential construction projects in Kajiado County. The study used resource dependency theory. Moreover, the research utilized descriptive research methodology. The scope was residential construction projects completed in the year 2020 within Kajiado County. The target population consisted of 124 registered building works in Kajiado County that are 95% complete as a performance indication. A sample of 37 projects was considered which consists of 30% of the total population. Non probabilistic sampling techniques were employed. Research participants included clients, contractors as well as consultants involved during project implementation. Questionnaires were deployed to obtain data. The researcher delivered them and collected at a later date. Results of the study established a positive correlation between technical expertise engagement and residential construction projects’ performance. The study gave a conclusion that M&E practices had impact on residential construction projects’ performance. The study recommends that stakeholder engagement sessions should be carried out to ensure all the interested parties play their roles efficiently especially in project scope, identification and implementation to avoid delays. Experienced and competent project managers should be hired to ensure the project is delivered on time and with the best quality.

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Does Employee Care Trigger Innovation Under a Healthy and Safe Working Environment? Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Industry in China

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9020194 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 194

Author(s):

Minghui Yang ◽

Qian Lin ◽

Petra Maresova

Keyword(s):

Safety Management ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Working Environment ◽

Firm Innovation ◽

Corporate Managers ◽

Pharmaceutical Firms ◽

Corporate Ability ◽

Safe Working

Sustainability of the workforce becomes a crucial issue, of which responsible care for employees can increase job satisfaction and human capital that impact corporate ability to absorb and generate new knowledge. Firms are obligated to provide a healthy and safe working environment for their employees, but it may in turn hinder innovation due to rigid and structured institutional regulations. Drawing on data of 308 China’s pharmaceutical firms from 2010 to 2017, we investigated whether employee care can trigger innovation under corporate adoption of the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS). Our results suggest that both employee care and OHSMS adoption have a positive impact on innovation. Moreover, the positive relationship between employee care and innovation was more pronounced in firms that had adopted the OHSMS certification. These findings are valuable to policymakers and corporate managers in emerging economies through corroborating the important role of workforce sustainability in facilitating firm innovation.

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Case Study in a Working Environment Highlighting the Divergence between Sound Level and Workers’ Perception towards Noise

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17176122 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (17) ◽

pp. 6122

Author(s):

Chun-Yip Hon ◽

Illia Tchernikov ◽

Craig Fairclough ◽

Alberto Behar

Keyword(s):

Noise Exposure ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Sound Level ◽

Working Environment ◽

Noise Levels ◽

Hearing Conservation ◽

Attitudes And Perceptions ◽

Noise Measurements ◽

Survey Responses ◽

Excessive Noise

Excessive noise levels are a prevalent issue in food processing operations and, although there have been numerous studies on occupational noise, no single study has used a concurrent mixed-methods approach. Employing this study design allows for an understanding of the level of convergence (similarity) between measured noise levels and workers’ attitudes and perceptions towards noise. This, in turn, allows for the identification of potential challenges with respect to the implementation of hearing conservation efforts. In this study, spot noise measurements were collected using a sound level meter. One-on-one interviews were conducted with workers to determine attitudes and perceptions towards noise in their workplaces. Subsequently, the results of the noise measurements (quantitative data) were integrated with the survey responses (qualitative data) to identify convergence. The majority of the noise measurements were found to exceed 85 dBA—the criterion mandated by the local occupational health and safety legislation. Although all study participants felt that it was noisy in the workplace, a large proportion of respondents indicated that the noise was not bothersome. With workers’ perception being contradictory to the measured noise levels, it is a challenge to implement hearing conservation measures unless changes are made to raise the awareness of the risks associated with excessive noise exposure.

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How Can We Adapt Thermal Comfort for Disabled Patients? A Case Study of French Healthcare Buildings in Summer

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14154530 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (15) ◽

pp. 4530

Author(s):

Youcef Bouzidi ◽

Zoubayre El Akili ◽

Antoine Gademer ◽

Nacef Tazi ◽

Adil Chahboun

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Physical Parameters ◽

Mean Radiant Temperature ◽

Operative Temperature ◽

Neutral Temperature ◽

Radiant Temperature

This paper investigates adaptive thermal comfort during summer in medical residences that are located in the French city of Troyes and managed by the Association of Parents of Disabled Children (APEI). Thermal comfort in these buildings is evaluated using subjective measurements and objective physical parameters. The thermal sensations of respondents were determined by questionnaires, while thermal comfort was estimated using the predicted mean vote (PMV) model. Indoor environmental parameters (relative humidity, mean radiant temperature, air temperature, and air velocity) were measured using a thermal environment sensor during the summer period in July and August 2018. A good correlation was found between operative temperature, mean radiant temperature, and PMV. The neutral temperature was determined by linear regression analysis of the operative temperature and Fanger’s PMV model. The obtained neutral temperature is 23.7 °C. Based on the datasets and questionnaires, the adaptive coefficient α representing patients’ capacity to adapt to heat was found to be 1.261. A strong correlation was also observed between the sequential thermal index n(t) and the adaptive temperature. Finally, a new empirical model of adaptive temperature was developed using the data collected from a longitudinal survey in four residential buildings of APEI in summer, and the obtained adaptive temperature is 25.0 °C with upper and lower limits of 24.7 °C and 25.4 °C.

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Parametric Design and Comfort Optimization of Dynamic Shading Structures

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13147670 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 7670

Author(s):

Doris A. Chi ◽

Edwin González M. ◽

Renato Valdivia ◽

Eduardo Gutiérrez J.

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Parametric Design ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Outdoor Thermal Comfort ◽

Climate Index ◽

Parametric Modelling ◽

The Social ◽

Thermal Climate ◽

Dynamic Time

This work implements parametric tools to optimize the environmental design of urban adaptive shadings through multiobjective evolutionary algorithms that look for solutions of dynamic (time-changing) structures used in open public spaces. The proposal is located in Malecon Cancun Tajamar in the southeast part of Mexico, and the main objective is to enhance the thermal comfort of users as well as to become part of the social dynamics of the place reinforcing identity through appropriation. The proposed workflow includes four steps: (1) geometric modelling by parametric modelling tools; (2) simulation of environmental parameters by using BPS tools; (3) shape optimization by using an evolutionary algorithm; and (4) environmental verification of the results. The Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was used to assess the outdoor thermal comfort derived from the dynamic shadings. The results showed a significant improvement in the thermal comfort with absolute UTCI differences of 3.9, 7.4, and 3.1 °C at 8, 12, and 16 h, respectively, during the summer; and absolute differences of 1.4, 3.5, and 2 °C at 8, 12, and 16 h, respectively, during the winter. The proposed workflow can help to guide the early design process of dynamic shadings by finding optimal solutions that enhance outdoor thermal comfort.

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META ANALYSIS METHOD OVERVIEW OF MODELS USED IN OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY TRAININGS

IEDSR Association ◽

10.46872/pj.395 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (15) ◽

pp. 482-490

Author(s):

Filiz ARICAK ◽

Evren ÇAĞLARER

Keyword(s):

Work Environment ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Safety Training ◽

Working Environment ◽

Future Generations ◽

Analysis Method ◽

Training Models ◽

Safety Procedures

In this study, an analysis of independent studies dealing with occupational safety training in different learning environments, in which various learning materials are used, was carried out. As a method, meta-analysis method was used. For this purpose, databases were used to collect national and international articles and papers suitable for the purpose of the study. Studies that did not mention the tools, equipment and environment used in education in the collected studies were excluded from the research, and 18 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The data obtained studies are categorized according to the education models, the sectors in which the education is applied and the characteristics of the participants in the education. As it is known, occupational health and safety procedures aim at a healthy and reliable working environment for its employees. However, the ultimate goal is to raise not only employees but also future generations with this awareness. The most important instrument of this is undoubtedly education. For this reason, it is necessary to develop training models suitable for the work environment, age, gender and every conceivable situation.

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Robot obstacle avoidance system using deep reinforcement learning

Industrial Robot the international journal of robotics research and application ◽

10.1108/ir-06-2021-0127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaojun Zhu ◽

Yinghao Liang ◽

Hanxu Sun ◽

Xueqian Wang ◽

Bin Ren

Keyword(s):

Reinforcement Learning ◽

Collision Avoidance ◽

Obstacle Avoidance ◽

Learning Algorithm ◽

Optimal Path ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Working Environment ◽

Content Type ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Human Operators

Purpose Most manufacturing plants choose the easy way of completely separating human operators from robots to prevent accidents, but as a result, it dramatically affects the overall quality and speed that is expected from human–robot collaboration. It is not an easy task to ensure human safety when he/she has entered a robot’s workspace, and the unstructured nature of those working environments makes it even harder. The purpose of this paper is to propose a real-time robot collision avoidance method to alleviate this problem. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a model is trained to learn the direct control commands from the raw depth images through self-supervised reinforcement learning algorithm. To reduce the effect of sample inefficiency and safety during initial training, a virtual reality platform is used to simulate a natural working environment and generate obstacle avoidance data for training. To ensure a smooth transfer to a real robot, the automatic domain randomization technique is used to generate randomly distributed environmental parameters through the obstacle avoidance simulation of virtual robots in the virtual environment, contributing to better performance in the natural environment. Findings The method has been tested in both simulations with a real UR3 robot for several practical applications. The results of this paper indicate that the proposed approach can effectively make the robot safety-aware and learn how to divert its trajectory to avoid accidents with humans within the workspace. Research limitations/implications The method has been tested in both simulations with a real UR3 robot in several practical applications. The results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively make the robot be aware of safety and learn how to change its trajectory to avoid accidents with persons within the workspace. Originality/value This paper provides a novel collision avoidance framework that allows robots to work alongside human operators in unstructured and complex environments. The method uses end-to-end policy training to directly extract the optimal path from the visual inputs for the scene.

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Effect of Occupational Health and Safety, and Work Environment on Employee Performance with Working Satisfaction as Mediation Variable

GATR Journal of Management and Marketing Review - JMMR Vol 4(3) JUL-SEP 2019 ◽

10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.2(3) ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 117-124

Author(s):

Setyani Dwi Lestari ◽

Nafiana Putri ◽

Yuwono Yuwono ◽

Indrabudiman Amir

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Work Environment ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Employee Performance ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Occupational Health And Safety ◽

Working Environment ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Safety Work

Objective - This study aims to determine and analyze the influence of Occupational Health and Safety, and the Working Environment on Employee Performance with Job Satisfaction as a mediating variable in PT. Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) with sample on DAOP I Jakarta. Methodology/Technique - The study population numbered 292 employees and 75 respondents be adopted as a sample of the study. Techniques of analysis using a statistical test structural equation model-based variance (SmartPLS). Findings – The results showed that, (1) Occupational Health and Safety had no effect on Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance, (2) the Work Environment had a positive and significant effect on Job Satisfaction and Employee Performance (3) Job Satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on Employee Performance, (4) Occupational Health and Safety has no effect on Employee Performance even though through Job Satisfaction mediation, (5) the Work Environment has a positive and significant effect on Employee Performance through mediation of Job Satisfaction, (6) Occupational Health and Safety, and the Work Environment simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on Job Satisfaction with the coefficient of determination, which is equal to 0,533, (7) Occupational Health and Safety, Work Environment, and Job Satisfaction simultaneously have a positive effect and significant to Employee Performance with coefficient of determination, which is equal to 0,890. Novelty - The company is expected to provide adequate rest periods, maintain the nutritional intake of its employees by providing healthy food, provide educational scholarships for further levels for employees, safeguard the work environment from chemical hazards and other hazards, and give positive motivation to the employees. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: J20, J24, J28. Keywords: Occupational Health and Safety, Work Environment, Job Satisfaction, Employee Performance Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Dwi, L.S; Putri, N; Yuwono; Amir, I. (2021). Effect of Occupational Health and Safety, and Work Environment on Employee Performance with Working Satisfaction as Mediation Variable, Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 6(2) 117 – 124. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2021.6.2(3)

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