Analyzing the Relationship Between Environmental Variables, Job Demands, Emotional Fatigue, and Job Stress in the Metal Industry of Southern Peninsular Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/ijbes.v12.n1.1300Keywords:
Job Stress, Workplace, Environmental Factors, Safety, Health.Abstract
Occupational environmental stress significantly impacts employees' efficiency, well-being, and safety within the workplace. This study aimed to evaluate such stress in the metal workplace by scrutinizing environmental factors: temperature, relative humidity, noise, and illuminance. This study employed mixed data collection methods, combining both objective and subjective approaches. Four (4) metal workplaces were conveniently selected, and questionnaires with 159 subjective evaluation items were distributed to 60 respondents. The methods involved collecting empirical data on environmental factors. Pearson correlation and regression analysis revealed a strong correlation between occupational environmental factors and both objective physical assessments and subjective evaluations. Temperature data exhibited the highest association, followed by relative humidity, noise, and illuminance. Further, a multivariate regression analysis highlighted a robust positive correlation (r=0.834) and a regression value (R2=0.785) between environmental variables and the job stress level. This study highlights the relationship between job stress levels and their impact on workers in the workplace. It also introduces a new model for predicting occupational environmental stress at work. In conclusion, this research provides valuable insights for stakeholders by ensuring workplaces align with standards that promote employees' well-being, safety, and physical and psychological health. Such findings facilitate the creation of conducive work environments.
References
Ángeles López-Cabarcos, M., Vázquez-Rodríguez, P. & Quiñoá-Piñeiro, L. M. (2022). An approach to employees’ job performance through work environmental variables and leadership behaviours. Journal of Business Research 140: 361–369.
Arminas, A. Nurwahidah and M. Ahdan. (2021). Effect of Noise and Room Temperature on Employee Productivity in Mechanical Maintenance Workshop PT. Semen Bosowa Maros. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1803. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1803/1/012026.
Attia, S., Bilir, S., Safy, T., Struck, C., Loonen, R. & Goia, F. (2018). Current trends and future challenges in the performance assessment of adaptive façade systems. Energy and Buildings 179: 165–182.
Attia, S., Bilir, S., Safy, T., Struck, C., Loonen, R. & Goia, F. (2018). Current trends and future challenges in the performance assessment of adaptive façade systems. Energy and Buildings 179: 165–182.
Burmeister, E., & Aitken, L. (2012). Sample size: how many is enough?. Australian critical care: official journal of the Confederation of Australian Critical Care Nurses, 25 4, 271-4 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2012.07.002.
Ervasti, J., Aalto, V., Pentti, J., Oksanen, T., Kivimäki, M., & Vahtera, J. (2021). Association of changes in work due to COVID-19 pandemic with psychosocial work environment and employee health: a cohort study of 24 299 Finnish public sector employees. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2021-107745.
Geng, Y., Ji, W., Lin, B. & Zhu, Y. (2017). The impact of thermal environment on occupant IEQ perception and productivity. Building and Environment 121: 158–167.
Gilbert-Ouimet, M., Brisson, C., & Vézina, M. (2019). Psychosocial work stressors, high family responsibilities, and psychological distress among women: A 5-year prospective study. American journal of industrial medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23070.
Heidarimoghadam, R., Mohammadfam, I., Babamiri, M., Soltanian, A., Khotanlou, H., & Sohrabi, M. (2020). What do the different ergonomic interventions accomplish in the workplace? A systematic review. International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 28, 600 - 624. https://doi.org/10.1080/10803548.2020.1811521.
Hernadewita, Hendra, R. Kristianti, I. Asih, S. Dhimas and E. Yuliani. (2023). The ergonomic factor application for improvement of performance office staff. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 909. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/909/1/012087.
Hosseinabadi, M.B., Khanjani, N., Munzel, T., Daiber, A. & Yaghmorloo, M. 2019. Chronic occupational noise exposure: Effects on DNA damage, blood pressure, and serum biochemistry. Mutat Res Gen Tox En 841: 17–22.
Husain, N., & Mohamad, J. (2020). Validation Of The Copsoq And Bdjd-24 As A Job Demand Scale For Assessing Taxi Drivers’ Safety Performance: Specific Vs. General Job Demands. Journal of Health and Translational Medicine, 23, 41-51.
Jachens, L., & Houdmont, J. (2019). Effort-Reward Imbalance and Job Strain: A Composite Indicator Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214169.
Mensah, A. (2021). Job Stress and Mental Well-Being among Working Men and Women in Europe: The Mediating Role of Social Support. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052494.
Mohd Said, M. A., Wellun, Z., & Khamis, N. K. (2022). Effects of Noise Hazards towards Physiology Especially Heart Rate Performance among Worker in Manufacturing Industry and Their Prevention Strategies: A Systematic Review. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 51(8), 1706–1717.
Pecino, V., Mañas, M., Díaz-Fúnez, P., Aguilar-Parra, J., Padilla-Góngora, D., & López-Liria, R. (2019). Organisational Climate, Role Stress, and Public Employees’ Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16101792.
Quick, J.C. & Henderson, D.F. 2016. Occupational Stress: Preventing Suffering, Enhancing Wellbeing. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 13: 459
Roskams, M., & Haynes, B. (2020). Testing the relationship between objective indoor environment quality and subjective experiences of comfort. Building Research & Information, 49, 387 - 398. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2020.1775065.
Selamat, M., Aziz, S., Mukapit, M., Baker, R., & Jaaffar, A. (2021). The Analysis of Ergonomic Task Demand and Psychosocial Work Factors towards Occupational Safety and Health. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarafms/v11-i3/10870.
Shahbazi, M., Farajpahlou, A., Osareh, F. & Rahimi, A. 2019. Development of a scale for data quality assessment in automated library systems. Library & Information Science Research 41(1): 78–84.
Stefan Holmstrom. 2008. Workplace stress measured by Job Stress Survey and relationships to musculoskeletal complaints. Doctoral dissertation from the Department of Psychology, Umea University.
Sun, C., Lian, Z., & Lan, L. (2019). Work performance in relation to lighting environment in office buildings. Indoor and Built Environment, 28, 1064 - 1082. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X18820089.
Vandiya, V., & Hidayat, A. (2019). The Relation of Job Demands to Teacher and Staff Stress: Impact of a Job Crafting Intervention. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Intervention and Applied Psychology (ICIAP 2018). https://doi.org/10.2991/iciap-18.2019.80.
Vasileva, N., Loktionov, O., & Kuznetsov, N. (2023). Ergonomic Workplace Parameters And Stress Factors Effects To Occupational Risks Level Assessment. Proceedings of the 17th Russian National Congress with International Participation OCCUPATION and HEALTH, 26-29 September 2023, Nizhny Novgorod. https://doi.org/10.31089/978-5-6042929-1-4-2023-1-105-109.
Vozzi, A., Ronca, V., Aricó, P., Borghini, G., Sciaraffa, N., Cherubino, P., Trettel, A., Babiloni, F., & Flumeri, G. (2021). The Sample Size Matters: To What Extent the Participant Reduction Affects the Outcomes of a Neuroscientific Research. A Case-Study in Neuromarketing Field. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21186088.
Wemken, G., Janurek, J., Junker, N., & Häusser, J. (2021). The impact of social comparisons of job demands and job control on well-being. Applied psychology. Health and well-being. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12257.
Wu, H., Wu, Y., Sun, X. & Liu, J. 2019. Combined effects of acoustic, thermal, and illumination on human perception and performance: A review. Building and Environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106593
Yan, T., Ji, F., Bi, M., Wang, H., Cui, X., Liu, B., Niu, D., Li, L., Lan, T., Xie, T., Wu, J., Li, J., & Ding, X. (2022). Occupational stress and associated risk factors among 13,867 industrial workers in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.945902.
Yang, W. & Moon, H. J. 2019. Combined effects of acoustic, thermal, and illumination conditions on the comfort of discrete senses and overall indoor environment. Building and Environment 148: 623-633.
Yeow, J.A., Tan, K.S., Chin, T.S. & Ching, S. 2012. A Review on Ergonomic Factors That Lead to Stress in Manufacturing Industry. International Conference of Management, Economics and Finance
Zeng, Z., Liu, J., Xie, Q., Wu, Y., Wang, H., & Lu, L. (2020). A National Cross-Sectional Survey on Work Environment Associated With Psychological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction Among Chinese Employees. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 32, 201 - 208. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539520914420.
Zhang, F., Dear, R., & Hancock, P. (2019). Effects of moderate thermal environments on cognitive performance: A multidisciplinary review. Applied Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APENERGY.2018.12.005.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright of articles that appear in International Journal of Built Environment and Sustainability belongs exclusively to Penerbit Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (Penerbit UTM Press). This copyright covers the rights to reproduce the article, including reprints, electronic reproductions or any other reproductions of similar nature.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- This Journal applies Creative Commons Licenses of CC-BY-NC-SA
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).