Worker Performance and Ventilation: Analyses of Time-Series Data for a Group of Call-Center Workers

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 L s^-1 to 48 L s^-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.