We’re constantly being told that we need to be thinking about health and safety in the workplace, but do you give much thought to temperature in the modern contemporary office?
We know that we shouldn’t leave wires trailing, that we should clean and sign a wet floor, and that we shouldn’t block a fire exit, but what about when the office is too cold, or too hot, during periods of adverse weather. Are there circumstances in which an employee is allowed to go home?
Actually, yes, and it’s vital that both employees and employers know about these lesser reported guidelines. When you’re sat at your large executive desk, shivering in cold, is there anything you can do?
According to the Government HSE, employers need to be aware of the effects of heat stress and cold stress, and should act upon adverse temperatures accordingly. This all falls under the Health And Safety at Work Act. What it doesn’t mean however is that an employee and say ‘oh it’s hot today’ and go home!
What is The Law Regarding Temperatures in Office Environments?
According to the HSE, employers have to provide what they refer to as a ‘reasonable temperature’ in the ideal office layout.
This means not too hot, not too cold, but that is also open to interpretation. The official guidelines are:
- The minimum allowed temperature in an office should be 16°C at least
- If the workspace requires tasks to be done which are classed rigorous, e.g. a lot of lifting and carrying or manual labour, then that temperature stands at a minimum of 13°C
- There is no guideline on what is considered to be an environment too hot to work in, because there are different situations to take into account, e.g factories are different to offices – it’s up to the employer to decide
What we should point out is that these temperatures aren’t governed by law, and it is up to the individual employer to decide what they deem to be reasonable.
As you can see, when the heat is on, or the mercury plummets, there can be a case of head-butting going on (metaphorically speaking) between employees and employers. It shouldn’t be the case that an employer orders their staff to sit round meeting room furniture and continue with their work despite the fact they’re freezing cold, because we all know that healthy and comfortable staff are far more productive than staff who less than healthy. Put simply, if you look after your staff, your staff will look after you.
So, where do you draw the line?
It’s about being fair and considering all the options. There are unlikely to be that many situations in the UK when an office environment is going to be far too hot or too cold to work in, but with the effects of climate change, how can we be sure this isn’t going to happen more often in the future? We don’t know for certain.
If you go into any office furniture showroom and try and get a feel of how you expect your new layout to be, you should also pay attention to temperature – that should be the general working temperature of your office too. If you need to purchase air conditioning to cool your space down, that is something to think about. If you need to ensure that windows open wider than currently, look into how that can happen, in order to circulate more fresh air. If you need to purchase heaters, look into safe options which are suitable for office use. It’s about having a back up plan and creating an environment which is comfortable and suitable for your employees to do their work correctly and healthily.
We should also talk about the fact that everyone deems hot and cold to be different things; you might have one employee who is always boiling hot, and another who is always freezing. This is where it gets complicated! Find a source of middle ground and listen to guidance from health and safety professionals. If you can do that, you’ll create an environment which encompasses both safety and productivity.