Ask the HSE

Each issue the HSE shares one of the most popular questions it has been asked on the HSE infoline the previous month

Given the recent plunging temperatures across Britain are there any health and safety rules about a minimum temperature in the workplace?

The law actually says that during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable. The actual minimum temperature, which is set down in the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) to the Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Regulations of 1992, is specified as 16 degrees Celsius although this can be reduced to as low as 13 degrees Celsius if workers are carrying out work involving severe physical effort.

Temperatures, of course, can be difficult to judge just by going on how hot or cold somebody feels, and that is why there should be a thermometer in the workplace – another requirement of the ACOP.

A good rule of thumb is that the temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing.

Not all workplaces are the same – conditions in a bakery for example are very different from a cold store.

Where the specified temperature is impractical because of hot or cold processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable. Employers should take into account other factors, including air movement and relative humidity.

There currently isn’t a maximum temperature set down in the Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Regulations, although there is an obligation under those laws to make sure that your employees are kept reasonably comfortable within the workplace.

For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/temperature.htm

HSE INFOLINE

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