Abstract:
The actual performance of a building sustains rational occupancy and use in terms of
individual and organizational well-being, health and productivity. Poor building
performance is a result of the conflict between different indoor environmental attributes
like lighting, ventilation and thermal comfort. A thermally comfortable indoor
environment is essential for the wellbeing of the occupants. As an energy deficient
country Bangladesh, it is not viable to use artificial means here to ensure indoor
environmental comfort.
Bangladesh is a developing country. The economic development of the country depends
firstly on agriculture and then on industry. Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector plays a
pivotal role in its economy. A large population employed in this sector, especially at the
production area. But the garment factories in Bangladesh have been heavily criticised
over the last 30 years for the working environment in which employees have to work. The
research work concentrates on the existing thermal conditions within the production
spaces with respect to thermal comfort. The indoor environment affects several human
responses, including thermal comfort, perceived air quality, sick building syndrome
symptoms and performance in work. Among these, this specific study focuses on the
correlation between thermal comfort and work productivity with a view to improve the
workplace environment in production spaces of RMG factories. It also evaluates the
effects of the environmental comfort factors (air temperature, relative humidity and air
movement) on the physiological comfort of the workers.
The implication of this study anticipates having a clear understanding on indoor
environment of RMG factories in Bangladesh. So the determination of the environmental
conditions that is perceived as comfortable by the workers in the production spaces is the
primary concern. The study on thermal comfort extracts from the results of the field
survey carried out with the workers in the production spaces where the environmental
variables that relate to different thermal sensations were recorded over a period of time.
This study also aims to set an outline for thermal comfort (required temperature levels
along with other comfort factors i.e. humidity and wind speed) to attain comfortable
conditions for the improvement of the workers’ work efficiency in production spaces.
