Does anyone know what the the legal temperature is to work in? Cause at our works the air condition has broken down and its really hot!

The upper limit is something scarily hot, so don't even bother.
Steel making would be illegal otherwise ;)

I believe factories are subject to different rules to shops, offices and railway premises Strix.

I work in a shop if that helps.

there is no maximun limit to work in only a minimum but there are guidlines. once its over a certain temp you have to have extra breaks, i will look it out for you.. i had this problem last year but as i was pregnant i had a case, unfortunatly if your not you dont! i will post a link once i find it:thumbsup:

Cheers, thanx for your help.

My Trade Union has this to say:

HEAT
There is no maximum working temperature laid down by law, but the Health & Safety At Work Act demands that the temperature in workplaces inside buildings must be ‘reasonable’. The Offices, Shops & Railway Premises Act also obliges employers to maintain a ‘reasonable’ temperature. Both acts specify that a sufficient number of thermometers must be provided so that the temperature may be measured.

The accepted zone of thermal comfort for most kinds of work lies between 16º-24º C.

The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers recommends that the temperature in offices and banks should be around 20º C. The World Health Organisation recommends a maximum working temperature of 24º C.

The Approved Code of Practice to the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 states that "all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a comfortable temperature".

This code suggests insulating hot pipes and equipment, providing air cooling plants, shading windows, siting workstations away from hot areas and using fans to increase ventilation. It also suggests rest breaks, cool drinks and limiting the amount of time spent in particularly hot areas.

It is also possible for employers to hire portable air conditioning equipment if heat is excessive.

You don’t have a legal right to walk out if your office is too hot (unless there is a serious and imminent danger to health).

However, you do have a right to demand that your employer takes urgent action to deal with excessive heat and you should contact your Union Representative, Safety Representative or full-time Union Official if your management doesn’t take the matter seriously.

andy can you find owt about breaks? i cant find it on the health and safety website, its changed since i last used it!

I don't think there are specific regulations concerning breaks when working in a hot workplace - I think it comes down to your employer being reasonable.

When our air conditioning broke, the boss bought us all ice creams :clap:

If you have one of those employers who doesn't care - play the 'computer hardware' card :thumbsup:

Peterborough General Hospital had a major disaster with their servers when they overheated one summer - after many warnings from IT staff about the cooling problem ;)

Air con would have been cheaper than the replacement of the machines that then took place - by a long chalk :(

Some really useful information provided here, well done guys.

People have very different tolerance levels to heat and cold, I personaly can manage to deal with cold better than i can with heat.

If you happen to be someone who has a problem dealing with the heat then have a word with your supervisor/manager if you can and explain how you feel. Is there a chance you can work in an area that is cooler?

As we're not in the height of the summer yet I hope things get sorted out before the heat increases!

I think the TUC are currently campaigning for an upper limit to temperatures. In my office we have thermometers on the walls, which are pretty useless as if it gets to 24 and it says "too hot" then we don't get sent home. :mad:

We just get told to 'open the windows and shut the blinds' which is not much use at all. Oh, and managers don't put people who have similar environment 'needs' next to each other, which causes further ructions. However, I understand if the water in the coolers runs out, then we can't be expected to work, so that's an idea......

Originally posted by Mathom
I think the TUC are currently campaigning for an upper limit to temperatures. In my office we have thermometers on the walls, which are pretty useless as if it gets to 24 and it says "too hot" then we don't get sent home. :mad:

We just get told to 'open the windows and shut the blinds' which is not much use at all. Oh, and managers don't put people who have similar environment 'needs' next to each other, which causes further ructions. However, I understand if the water in the coolers runs out, then we can't be expected to work, so that's an idea......
24 is not that hot compared to some places,last year when i had the problem the shop was 27 when i got in at 7am and rose to between 36/38 in the afternoon. it was awful. running about serving people made it worse so think yourself lucky your in an office where its not as fast paced! i do think it ridiculous though and something has to be done about it as the climate is changing and the problem is getting worse. i think you right about the water thing. when i get to work tomorrow i will look out the rules we have and post them here tomorrow if they actually have them!

Originally posted by savbaby
24 is not that hot compared to some places,last year when i had the problem the shop was 27 when i got in at 7am and rose to between 36/38 in the afternoon.
Who in their right mind would shop in those temperatures when you can get your goods in aircon comfort elsewhere?

So what is the limit for the lowest temperature staff can be expected to work in? I'm thinking of a shop setting, a friend of mine has been complaing about how cold it was over winter in there and this thread has got me thinking :)

Originally posted by scatterheart
So what is the limit for the lowest temperature staff can be expected to work in? I'm thinking of a shop setting, a friend of mine has been complaing about how cold it was over winter in there and this thread has got me thinking :)

I believe you can refuse to work if the temperature in your workplace is below about 65degrees. (as someone said, shops offices and factories do have different sections of employment lawa ppplying to them, you's need to check with a citizen's advice bureau, to be certain of the law.

PT

Originally posted by savbaby
24 is not that hot compared to some places,last year when i had the problem the shop was 27 when i got in at 7am and rose to between 36/38 in the afternoon. it was awful. running about serving people made it worse so think yourself lucky your in an office where its not as fast paced! i do think it ridiculous though and something has to be done about it as the climate is changing and the problem is getting worse. i think you right about the water thing. when i get to work tomorrow i will look out the rules we have and post them here tomorrow if they actually have them!

But installing air con in all buildings won't help any of us as these procuce CO2 which is just goin to make global warming worse.

The following extractfrom the relevent legislation may assist ....

Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963
OSRP Act 1963 defines requirements for safety, health and welfare of employees at such workplaces.

"offices must be adequately heated with a temperature of 16 degrees Centigrade (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by the first hour of working. "

Note: I am unsure whether this legislation has been subsequently amended though!

worse place I ever worked was in a pastie shop when I was a student, the hot plates and ovens give off loads of heat in a very small space and it is unbearable in the summer months.

I used to take a spare uniform to change into on my break as the one I was wearing used to be wet through :gag:

I used to feel faint due to the heat. after spending a morning in there though you used to get used to the heat and it was fine.

I laugh now when people moan about heat in office blocks :roll: and other shops that I have worked in as a student as I think to myself that your lucky: could you imagine welding or a job similar to that in the summer? now that would be something to moan about!

The following extractfrom the relevent legislation may assist ....

Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963
OSRP Act 1963 defines requirements for safety, health and welfare of employees at such workplaces.

"offices must be adequately heated with a temperature of 16 degrees Centigrade (60.8 degrees Fahrenheit) by the first hour of working. "

Note: I am unsure whether this legislation has been subsequently amended though!


I reckon that this is the minimum temperature for working in a office (16C -61F)
This was the accepted standard in many offices in the 70s and 80s when I was working in such an environment.

HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE

Health and Safety law is very extensive. The basis of UK health and safety law is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This sets out the general principles of health and safety compliance and is supplemented by various Regulations, some of which apply to all industries and some of which apply to specific industries, types of premises or specific health and safety issues.

Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) are published from time to time containing guidance, examples of good practice and explanations of the law.

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is the body responsible for health and safety policy and its executive arm, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for enforcement of health and safety law.In recent years the European Union has been influential in adopting health and safety measures which are implemented by member states, including, of course, the UK.

Health and safety law creates rights and obligations on employers and workers and protection extends beyond an employer's own employees to other workers and visitors the employer's premises.

The employer's duties are to ensure, "so far as is reasonably practicable" the health, safety and welfare of workers, including stress at work. This has to be done by carrying out a risk assessment, consulting safety representatives and safety committees, providing information, instruction and training to workers and others who are in a contractual relationship. Compliance with some Regulations is absolute and not constrained by the "practicability" provision.

Failure by an employer to comply with health and safety law is an offence and may lead to prosecution by the HSE.

Workers who exercise their health and safety statutory rights are protected from detrimental action by their employer.

The following, non exhaustive list gives some examples of areas of work and matters which come within the scope of health and safety law:

ventilation
temperature
lighting
cleanliness and waste materials
floor space
seating
sanitation
washing facilities
smoking
visual Display Units (VDUs)

Workers have responsibilities and duties too and may be liable to prosecution as well if they interfere with anything provided in the interests of health and safety.

CLICK HERE (http://www.worksmart.org.uk/health/viewsection.php?sen=6) For more detailed information.