1. Does Good Indoor Air Quality Really
Improve Workplace Productivity?
FMP and Property Event – 29 & 30 April 2014
Ammar Al-Shemery
Associate Director of the Abu Dhabi Campus
Head of Operations and Campus Services

2. Contents
• Why the need for good indoor air?
• HVAC Systems
• Productivity in the Workplace
• Case Study

3. Why the need for good indoor air?
Estimated that inefficient buildings cost British business £135bn
per year in lost opportunity (Glensler, 2005)
1-2% improvement in productivity has a larger economic return
than 100% saving in energy costs” (CIBSE1999)
Indoor air pollution is the 8th most important in the range of risk
factors in the global burden of disease and responsible for 2.7%
of it (WHO, 2005)
50% of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by
polluted indoor air. (The American College of Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology, ACAAI, 2009)
The total annual cost of poor IAQ to U.S. employers is $15
billion due to worker inefficiency and sick leave (OSHA, 2008)

4. (Bartlett, 2006)

5. Definition of Indoor Air Quality?
The environmental characteristics inside buildings that may
affect human health, comfort, or work performance. IAQ
characteristics include the concentrations of amounts of
pollutants in indoor air, as well as air temperature and
humidity.
(Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2011)
Air within a building occupied for at least one hour by people of
varying states of health. This can include the office, classroom,
transport facility, shopping centre, hospital and home.
National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)

6. Major Source of Contaminants
Contaminants Major Source
Particles Dust (generated inside and outside), smoking,
cooking
Allergens (a substance that can
cause an allergic reaction)
Molds, pets, many other resources
Bacteria and viruses People, moisture, pets
Carbon dioxide (CO2) Occupants breathing, combustion
Odoriferous chemicals People, cooking, molds, chemicals, smoking
Volatile Organic Compound
(VOC)
Construction materials, furnishings, cleaning
products
Tobacco smoke Smoking
Carbon monoxide (CO) Incomplete and/or faulty combustion, smoking
Radon (Rn) Radioactive decay of radium in the soil
Formaldehyde (HCHO) Construction materials, furniture, smoking
Oxides of Nitrogen Combustion, smoking
Sulfur dioxide Combustion
Ozone Photocopiers, electrostatic air cleaners
McDowall, 2007

7. HVAC Systems
Objectives of the HVAC system
To control:
1)Air temperature
2)Humidity
3)Air circulation
4)Air quality
(ASHRAE, 2004)
Energy Analysis and Comfort Solutions Inc., 2006

8. Achieving Efficiency
HVAC Selection Parameters
Commissioning of HVAC
System
HVAC Maintenance and
Cleaning
National Air Duct Cleaning Association, NADCA ,
2005
Building Use
Classification
Air
Handling
Unit
Supply
Ductwork
Return
Ductwork/Exhaust
Industrial 1 year 1 year 1 year
Residential 1 year 2 years 2 years
Light Commercial 1 year 2 years 2 years
Commercial 1 year 2 years 2 years
Healthcare 1 year 1 year 1 year
Marine 1 year 2 years 2 years
HVAC Cleanliness Inspection Schedule
HVAC Systems

9. Productivity in the Workplace
Factors Influencing Comfort
(McDowall, 2007)
Factors Affecting Workplace
Productivity
(Hedge, 2004)
17%

10. Measuring Productivity
McCartney &
Humphreys (2002)
Lorsch and
Abdou (1994)
Wyon (1996)
A- Simulated work
B- Diagnostic tests
C- Embedded tasks
D- Absenteeism records
E- Self-assessment
F- Use of existing measures
D- Absenteeism records
Productivity in the Workplace

11. CASE STUDY
The Facility

12. Methodology
CASE STUDY

13. Improvement Measures
HVAC System Assessment
CASE STUDY

14. PPM Programme
Sr. # Item Parameter
Satisfied
Parameter not
Satisfied
1 Filters and air cleaning devices

2 Outdoor air dampers and actuators

3 Humidifiers

4 Dehumidification coils

5 Drain pans and other adjacent surfaces
subject to wetting

6 Outdoor air intake louvers, bird screens,
mist eliminators and adjacent areas

7 Sensors used for dynamic minimum
outdoor air control

8 Air handling systems except for units
under 2000 cfm

9 Cooling towers

10 Floor drains located in plenums or
rooms that serve as air plenums

11 Equipment component accessibility

12 Visible microbial contamination

13 Water intrusion or accumulation

Total 8 5
Percentage 61.5% 38.5%
Minimum Maintenance Activity and Frequency
CASE STUDY

15. Comfort Conditions
CASE STUDY
Parameter Condition
Satisfied
Condition not
Satisfied
Basic Thermal Comfort
• Consider humidity, air velocity, radiation 
• Consider occupant clothing and metabolic rate 
• Use ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Tool (ASHRAE 1997) or equivalent to select indoor
design

• Design for part-load conditions 
• Select thermostat locations carefully 
• Educate occupants regarding clothing adaptation 
Zoning and Occupant Control
• Use separate zone for each unique microenvironment 
• Educate occupants about thermostat settings and HVAC operation 
• Expand comfort envelope using personal cooling/ventilation 
• Expand comfort by occupant control over natural conditioning 
• Use operator control in case of “thermostat wars” 
Thermal Radiation
• Use radiation (hot or cool) to expand the thermal comfort envelope 
• Shade excessive solar radiation 
Air Movement
• Achieve the minimum velocity 
• Expand the upper thermal limits using air movement 
• Address drafts by selection of diffusers and heat location 
Part-Load Control
• Maintain air velocity 
• Control humidity 
Operation Capabilities
• Design to allow flexibility that can retain satisfaction levels 
• Adjustable set points allow response to occupant expectations 
HVAC System Checklist for
Comfort Conditions

16. Facility Cleanliness
CASE STUDY
High VOC

17. Indoor Air Quality Investigation
CASE STUDY

18. On-Site Improvements
 Changing cleaning material and
detergents to green materials that
are more environmental friendly.
 Adjusting air dampers for better
ventilation rates
 Adjusting VCDs (volume control
dampers) towards better air
movement.
 Installing a temporary fan
near the 9th floor corridor
door to balance air pressure.
 Placing lockable plastic
covers on thermostat controls
 Implementing “Zone
Operating Schedule”
 Sealing window gaps to
avoid infiltration and
enhance building
envelope.
CASE STUDY

19. Indoor Air Quality Test
CASE STUDY
Direct Instrumental
Method of Analysis
8 hours

20. Survey Questionnaire
CASE STUDY Survey Question(s) Air Quality Parameter
(HAAD Standard)
Effects Source
3 - PM10 and TSP The lower region of the
respiratory tract.
Dust
4 & 5 - Air temperature
- Relative
humidity
Thermal comfort HVAC system
6
- Yeast and
mould
Sensitive people to
allergenic reactions.
HVAC system, high
humidity, reduced ventilation
and HVAC system
condensation.
- Formaldehyde Causes watery eyes, burning
sensations in the eyes and
throat, nausea, and difficulty
in breathing.
Carpet glue, insulation
material, furniture.
- Co Reduces the oxygen supply
to the body causing
suffocation.
Vehicles exhaust entry to the
building.
- Co2 Thermal comfort Ventilation rate (HVAC
system)
7 - VOC Eye, nose, and throat
irritation; headaches, loss of
coordination and central
nervous system
Paint, cleaning material,
adhesive, cosmetics and
carpets
8 - TSP & PM2.5 Respiratory system Cigarette smoke
9 - General perception of air
chemicals’ effects on general
health
Various external and internal
pollution sources
10, 11, 12, 13 & 14 High level of
concentration for most
parameters
Sick building syndrome
(SBS)
Ventilation, poor HVAC
system causing
contamination.

21. Absenteeism Records
CASE STUDY
Cause of absence that is related only to
respiratory, allergy, headache…etc
problems was taken into consideration

22. Results
CASE STUDY

23. IAQ Test & Survey Questionnaire
Parameter Averaging
Time
HAAD
Limit
Unit Detection
Limit
Results
Min. Max. Ave.
Air Temperature 8 hours Summer
24.5 ± 1.5˚C
- - 25.2 26.4 25.8
Relative humidity 8 hours 30 – 60 - - 38.1 42.5 40.3
Particulate
matters (PM2.5)
8 hours 0.025 mg/m³ 0.001 0.001 0.003 0.002
Particulate
matters (PM10)
8 hours - mg/m³ 0.001 0.002 0.002 0.002
Total suspended
particles (TSP)
8 hours - mg/m³ 0.001 0.002 0.004 0.003
Formaldehyde 8 hours 0.1 mg/m³ 0.01 0.013 0.03 0.021
Carbon dioxide 8 hours 1,000 ppm 1 488 580 534
Carbon monoxide 8 hours 9 ppm 0.001 0.533 0.0 0.72
Ozone 8 hours 0.1 ppm 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01 < 0.01
Volatile organic
compound
(VOC)
8 hours 100 ppb 10 153 245 199
Total bacterial
count (TBC)
8 hours ≤ 1000 cfu/m³ - 356
Yeast and mould 8 hours ≤ 1000 cfu/m³ - 490
HAAD Standard (2009) Occupational
and Indoor Air Quality, Health
Authority Abu Dhabi, UAE
Results
CASE STUDY

24. Conclusion
36%
Savings over 1 year upon implementing
improvement measures
1000 £
CASE STUDY

25. The Pathway Ahead
1
a)HVAC System technical issues
b)Facility Cleanliness Considerations
c)Indoor Air Quality Investigation
d)Indoor Air Quality Test
e)Survey Questionnaire
f)Interviews
2
On-site improvements
3
Indoor air quality test
4
Absenteeism records

26. SO…..
Does Good Indoor Air Quality Really Improve
Workplace Productivity?

27. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION…