Presentation
Retail Workers during COVID-19: Face Mask Effects on Performance, Productivity, and Perception under Different Workloads
SessionPoster Session 2
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 12th4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
LocationPoster Gallery
DescriptionWearing a face mask in public settings has been recommended internationally and made mandatory in some countries after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, and it rapidly became the new norm of human interaction. This study investigated how employees in retail stores use facemasks, as well as how smoking habits, workload, and wearing eyeglasses while using masks influence employees. Surveys were distributed to retail employees via emails. Results showed that smoking and workload interaction led significantly to slower mo-tion response, cause itchiness, and tightness. More, smokers showed less tolerance to work till the end of the shift and higher body, lip, and cheeks temperature when compared to nonsmokers. The workload was found to have a negative impact on the heat buildup within the mask. Also, vision ability significantly declined while wearing eyeglasses and having the mask on.
