Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories
Introduction: Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in laboratories can negatively impact worker comfort and psychological well-being. This study investigates the relationship between IAQ and psychological performance among laboratory workers in Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted...
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Occupational Health and Safety Society of Nepal
2025-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/IJOSH/article/view/70692 |
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| author | Puteri Balqis Mohd Hatta Muhammad Nazman Nur Faseeha Suhaimi |
| author_facet | Puteri Balqis Mohd Hatta Muhammad Nazman Nur Faseeha Suhaimi |
| author_sort | Puteri Balqis Mohd Hatta |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction: Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in laboratories can negatively impact worker comfort and psychological well-being. This study investigates the relationship between IAQ and psychological performance among laboratory workers in Malaysia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2023 in six university laboratories categorised into chemical and non-chemical. A total of 52 workers, aged 20-49 years, participated. IAQ was measured in real-time for 8 hours during weekdays using instruments to monitor particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), airborne microorganisms, carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature (°C), relative humidity (RH), and air movement. Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Data were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis, One-Way ANOVA, and Chi-Square tests.
Results: Significant differences in IAQ parameters were found across laboratories, with elevated PM2.5 (p=0.007) and PM10 (p=0.020), and high CO levels (p=0.042). Over 51.9% of workers experienced psychological distress, particularly those exposed to high CO levels (≥2.5 ppm) and temperatures above 23.3°C. Workers in these conditions were 6.5 times more likely to report discomfort (p=0.042).
Conclusion: High CO levels and elevated temperatures are significantly associated with psychological distress among laboratory workers. Improving ventilation and maintaining optimal temperatures could enhance both comfort and mental well-being in laboratory environments. External stressors may also influence psychological performance but were not fully controlled.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b7cca6bd71194be9b3fa336b2df1686c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2738-9707 2091-0878 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Occupational Health and Safety Society of Nepal |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-b7cca6bd71194be9b3fa336b2df1686c2025-08-20T03:31:57ZengOccupational Health and Safety Society of NepalInternational Journal of Occupational Safety and Health2738-97072091-08782025-04-0115210.3126/ijosh.v15i2.70692Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratoriesPuteri Balqis Mohd Hatta0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1274-2312Muhammad Nazman1https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0657-3796Nur Faseeha Suhaimi2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5923-8713Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, MalaysiaUniversiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, MalaysiaUniversiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia Introduction: Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in laboratories can negatively impact worker comfort and psychological well-being. This study investigates the relationship between IAQ and psychological performance among laboratory workers in Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October to November 2023 in six university laboratories categorised into chemical and non-chemical. A total of 52 workers, aged 20-49 years, participated. IAQ was measured in real-time for 8 hours during weekdays using instruments to monitor particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), airborne microorganisms, carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature (°C), relative humidity (RH), and air movement. Psychological distress was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Data were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis, One-Way ANOVA, and Chi-Square tests. Results: Significant differences in IAQ parameters were found across laboratories, with elevated PM2.5 (p=0.007) and PM10 (p=0.020), and high CO levels (p=0.042). Over 51.9% of workers experienced psychological distress, particularly those exposed to high CO levels (≥2.5 ppm) and temperatures above 23.3°C. Workers in these conditions were 6.5 times more likely to report discomfort (p=0.042). Conclusion: High CO levels and elevated temperatures are significantly associated with psychological distress among laboratory workers. Improving ventilation and maintaining optimal temperatures could enhance both comfort and mental well-being in laboratory environments. External stressors may also influence psychological performance but were not fully controlled. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/IJOSH/article/view/70692indoor air qualitylaboratory workersoccupational healthpsychological performanceventilation |
| spellingShingle | Puteri Balqis Mohd Hatta Muhammad Nazman Nur Faseeha Suhaimi Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories International Journal of Occupational Safety and Health indoor air quality laboratory workers occupational health psychological performance ventilation |
| title | Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories |
| title_full | Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories |
| title_fullStr | Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories |
| title_full_unstemmed | Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories |
| title_short | Linking laboratory air quality to workers’ psychological performance in Malaysian university laboratories |
| title_sort | linking laboratory air quality to workers psychological performance in malaysian university laboratories |
| topic | indoor air quality laboratory workers occupational health psychological performance ventilation |
| url | https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/IJOSH/article/view/70692 |
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