Defining the level of human comfort in the office environment by thermal factor

Abstract

Purpose. To analyse the process of heat exchange between the man and the environment, including production areas, as well as to develop and study the criterion of workplace comfort by the thermal factor. To achieve this goal, the following tasks are to be solved: - to consider the characteristics of the microclimate in the workplace, including that of office space using information technologies; - to develop a mathematical model of heat exchange between the human body and the environment; - to develop a criterion for the efficiency of functioning of microclimate normalization systems in the workplace. Methodology. To perform the tasks in the work, an analysis of the literature and sanitary and hygienic documentation on the specified problem is performed; analytical method is applied for studying the comfort of the sanitary and hygienic condition of the indoor air using a mathematical model of heat exchange between workers and the environment. Findings. Based on the theoretical analysis, the criterion of microclimate comfort is obtained, which differs from the known ones in that it takes into account all types of heat transfer from the human body to the environment depending on the nature and intensity of human activity, allows estimating the total value of heat flow depending on the environmental condition with fair accuracy for the practical purposes and can be used to substantiate the efficiency of methods and means of normalizing the microclimate when performing work using information technologies. Originality. A mathematical model of heat transfer in the man environment system is developed and theoretically substantiated. The criterion of microclimate comfort at workplaces is offered and mathematical relation to calculate it is obtained. Practical value. The results of calculations of the comfort criterion in the workplace can be used when developing tools and methods for normalizing the microclimate in the workplace and assessing the effectiveness of their implementation.