IAQ EVALUATION OF HEALTH SERVICE DIVISION AREA IN UNIVERSITY HEALTH CENTRE DURING VACATION AND SEMESTER PERIODS

Abstract

Health centres within campus are a common sight at higher learning institutions as they provide quick and convenient health services to the community. With Singapore’s hot and humid climate, buildings like the health centres will be air-conditioned to maintain a thermally comfortable indoor environment. However, little research has been done on the indoor air quality (IAQ) of such premises where they are not only a healthcare facility that provides healthcare services; they are also workplaces for the medical and administrative staff who spend considerable time in. The methodology of this study consists of 2 main categories: objective measurements that utilize portable instruments and subjective measurements which consist of questionnaires given to visitors and staff to obtain their perceptions. From the objective spot measurements results, all the chemical and thermal parameters measured at all timeframes and sampling points are within the acceptable limits stipulated in SS554:2009 during vacation (non-peak) and semester (peak) periods; with the exception of carbon dioxide (CO2) and air velocity at certain timeframes and sampling points. The results of the questionnaires show that over 90% of the visitors expressed acceptability towards the IAQ and thermal comfort of the premise. Conversely, only 82% of the staff expressed acceptability for IAQ and 73% for thermal comfort. For both groups, a small percentage experiences some forms of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms such as “Dry Throat”, “Lethargy” and “Drowsiness”. With the findings, recommendations such as substituting textile sofas with leather types will aid in reducing the presence of storage sources for pollutants within the premise. In addition, to aid in having increasing air velocity and dilution of CO2 build-up, portable fan and big ass fan are proposed. In the case of increasing ventilation, a demand-controlled ventilation system is suggested. In totality, during both non-peak and peaks periods, the IAQ and thermal comfort of the Health Service Division area within the health centre are generally satisfactory from the results of the objective and subjective measurements. Hence, the environment poses no grave health and psychological concerns to the occupants.