HSE Shares Advice for Managing Temperature in the Workplace

There’s no law for maximum working temperature, or when it’s too hot to work, because every workplace is different. However, employers must stick to health and safety at work law, including:

• Keeping the temperature at a comfortable level
• Providing clean and fresh air

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) highlights practical steps you can take to protect workers in high or low temperatures. This advice can help the contract flooring industry stay safe, whether you are a contractor on site or work in a factory, office or shop.

How to protect workers

Indoor workplaces should provide:

• Heating systems which do not give off dangerous or offensive levels of fume into the workplace
• A reasonable working temperature in workrooms – usually at least 16°C, or 13°C for strenuous work
• Local heating or cooling (using fans, opening windows, using radiators) where a comfortable temperature cannot be maintained throughout each workroom, such as in hot and cold manufacturing processes
• Rest facilities where necessary

You can help ensure people are comfortable in warm conditions:

• Provide fans, such as desk, pedestal or ceiling-mounted ones
• Provide air-cooling or air-conditioning and adequate ventilation
• Ensure windows can be opened to keep air circulating
• Shade employees from direct sunlight with blinds or by using reflective film on windows
• Position workstations away from direct sunlight or sources of heat
• Place insulating materials around hot plant and pipes
• Provide cold water dispensers (water is better than caffeine or carbonated drinks)

You can also change work arrangements to avoid people getting too hot:

• Introduce flexible working patterns, such as job rotation, moving workers to cooler parts of the building where possible
• Allow enough breaks to allow workers to get cold drinks or cool down
• Relax formal dress codes – but make sure personal protective equipment is used if required

HSE has advice on assessing the risks of heat stress and protecting workers from it. Find out about making workers feel more comfortable.

Workers should talk to their employer if the workplace temperature isn’t comfortable.

If your job involves extreme temperatures

In some workplaces extreme temperatures can be created by the work activity, such as some manufacturing processes. These temperatures can lead to serious health effects if not managed effectively.

You can find advice if you are working in very high or low temperatures, for example on heat stress, dehydration or cold stress.

www.hse.gov.uk