Petition for maximum workplace temperature launched

A union official has launched an e-petition on the Downing Street website, calling for a maximum workplace temperature law.

Ben Baldwin, a bakery worker and Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) member has so far collected 157 signatures in favour of a maximum workplace temperature and the petition will remain open until October 2009.

Temperatures in the workplace are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. The Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) suggests a minimum temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16° C – or 13° C if much of the work indoors involves severe physical effort. These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements though; the employer’s essential duty is to determine what reasonable comfort will be in the particular circumstances.

According to the HSE’s guidance on workplace temperature law:

“A meaningful figure cannot be given at the upper end of the scale. This is because the factors, other than air temperature which determine thermal comfort, i.e. radiant temperature, humidity and air velocity become more significant and the interplay between them more complex as temperatures rise.”

The absence of a maximum standard can make it difficult to negotiate improvements in hot workplaces. The HSE recommends that employers should consult with employees or their representatives, to establish sensible means to cope with high temperatures. In the event of an unresolved dispute, employees may contact their local environmental health office or HSE office for advice on how best to take the matter forward.

A spokesperson from the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers told FM World:

“It is union policy to push for a statutory maximum. Research clearly shows that if temperatures exceed 25^oC it is dangerous for workers. There is a risk of heat stroke and fatigue, and the number of accidents also increases.”

Lydia Randall, director of architecture and design consultancy BDGworkfutures, agreed, saying that the time had come for an approach to temperature control which goes beyond “personal comfort”. She said that a case could be made for a legislative maximum in large workplaces for environmental reasons too:

“People should start to think about maximum temperatures for sustainability’s sake. We have to start thinking about the bigger issues – not ‘Jeff’s too hot and Lynda’s too cold’ or ‘can we have individual temperature controls?’”

According to Workplace Law Network’s Ventilation and temperature factsheet:

Regulation 7 requires that "during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable".

The ACoP suggests that, in the typical workplace, the temperature should be at least 16°C unless much of the work involves severe physical effort, in which case the temperature should be at least 13°C.

These temperatures would be considered by most building occupants to be below comfort levels. However, the ACoP defines a reasonable temperature as one that should secure the thermal comfort of people at work, allowing for clothing, activity level, radiant heat, air movement and humidity.

For air-conditioned buildings in the UK, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers’ (CIBSE) Guide A recommends a dry resultant temperature of between 21°C and 23°C during winter and between 22°C and 24°C in summer for continuous sedentary occupancy.

It is recognised that room temperatures in buildings without artificial cooling will exceed the summer values for some of the time but should not exceed 25°C for more than 5% of the annual occupied period (typically 125 hours).