Center for the Built Environment

We investigated the relationship of ventilation rates with the performance of advice nurses working in a call center. Ventilation rates were manipulated; temperatures, humidities, and CO2 concentrations were monitored; and worker performance data, with 30-minute resolution, were collected. Multivariate linear regression was used to investigate the association of worker performance with building ventilation rate, or with indoor CO2 concentration (which is related to ventilation rate per worker).  Results suggest that the effect of ventilation rate on worker performance in this call center was very small(probably less than 1%) or nil, over most of the range of ventilation rate (roughly 12 Ls-1 to 48 Ls-1 per person).  However, there is some evidence of worker performance improvements of 2% or more when the ventilation rate per person was very high, as indicated by the indoor CO2 concentration exceeding the outdoor concentration by less than 75 ppm.