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Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Risk toward Healthier Environment for All

Abstract

This chapter covers the following issues: air quality, thermal conditions and ventilation. It comprises ventilation, human and other sources of pollution and energy load, cooling and humidification, microbial and organic pollutions. Open shelves, fleecy surfaces, carpets and office machines can add to pollutions. An addendum is included with Norwegian ventilation requirements in non-industrial buildings.

Noise and acoustic environment, including combined effects, are important issues. Lighting and daylighting, the circadian rhythm and sleep health are important for health and productivity. Lighting design and considerations as well as individual requirements are discussed. View out through windows is important for perceived environment, productivity and health.

Office concepts and layout—“activity-based workplaces” (ABW) are important. Findings about office layout are presented. ABW can impair coping, control and productivity, particularly among those working with individual cognitive demanding work with need of privacy. Productivity loss due to disturbances, poor acoustics and noise for this group of workers is associated with reduced coping, control and health. Many perceive reduced health, job satisfaction leading to higher sickness absence and earlier pensioning.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The problem of carpets is associated with difficult cleaning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Labour Inspectorate, Trondheim, Norway

    Jan Vilhelm Bakke

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Knut Inge Fostervold

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  1. Jan Vilhelm Bakke
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  1. Hokkaido University, Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Reiko Kishi

  2. Uppsala University, Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden

    Dan Norbäck

  3. Hokkaido University, Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

    Atsuko Araki

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Bakke, J.V., Fostervold, K.I. (2020). Offices. In: Kishi, R., Norbäck, D., Araki, A. (eds) Indoor Environmental Quality and Health Risk toward Healthier Environment for All. Current Topics in Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9182-9_4

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