Keep your Cool
It has been hot of late. You know that. You may well have been suffering whilst at work. You might be lucky enough to work in a modern air-conditioned office or workplace. Many workers are not so lucky and Swindon has its fair share of old buildings that can get unbearably hot.
The law requires that during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable. The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius.
This is all very well when it is cold, but this is not much use at this time of year. Is there any requirement for a workplace not to exceed a maximum temperature? Strictly speaking, no, but there is a requirement that the temperature in workrooms should be reasonable. Workroom temperatures should allow people to work in reasonable comfort. Where such temperature is impractical because of hot processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable.
Your employer can and possibly should be taking steps to alleviate the hot conditions. Many employers are already required to ventilate enclosed workplaces with a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. In extremely hot weather increased ventilation may be required.
In addition to this employers are required to provide an adequate supply of ‘wholesome' drinking water for all persons at work in the workplace.
The Health and Safety Executive consider that an acceptable zone of comfort for most people in the UK lies roughly between 13 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. This will not be true for everyone and your employer may need to take account of any special needs you have.
This article gives a general overview only and the legal position at the time of writing this article. It cannot be relied upon in any particular case. Specific legal advice must always be considered to include consideration as to whether the legal position contained in this article has changed since going to print. For further information and advice, please contact Tim Dixon or Nita King on 01793 527141 or alternatively by email on Tim.Dixon@lemon-co.co.uk or Nita.King@lemon-co.co.uk.
If you would like to receive more information from Lemon&Co and be kept up to date with legal and statutory updates please register here.
Link to this article:
If you wish to link to this article, please paste the follwoing code into your web page:
<p><strong><a href="http://www.lemon-co.co.uk/article_keep-your-cool.php">Keep your cool</a></strong><br />
It has been hot of late. You know that. You may well have been suffering whilst at work. You might be lucky enough to work in a modern air-conditioned office or workplace. Many workers are not so lucky and Swindon has its fair share of old buildings that can get unbearably hot....</p>
Download our core services brochure
- click here - PDF format (275kb)