Model to assess economic impact of hot environments on productivity

Abstract

In sectors as mining, smelting or food production, workers are constantly subjected to hot environmental conditions that affect them somehow. In this paper, a quantitative model that aims at relating the effects of such environments on labour productivity is presented. Simultaneously, the proposed model allows the evaluation of the economic balance between the loss of productivity and the energy consumption of the installed cooling systems. This allows to obtain an optimal solution for industrial plants operation. Copyright (c) 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.