Topical Tips

Q. The weather is getting colder at the moment and as usual it’s freezing in work, what can be done?

A. As we have said before, your employer has a legal duty to maintain a reasonable temperature in the workplace.

Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) regulations 1992 states that a reasonable temperature should be maintained in indoor workplaces where possible. The minimum reasonable temperature for most workplaces is 16 degrees Celsius or 13 degrees Celsius where physically strenuous work is involved. If members have to work in areas where these temperatures cannot be met (e.g. chillers, freezers, etc.) then exposure time should be kept to a minimum and suitable protective clothing should be provided.

The law also says that sufficient thermometers should be provided to allow workers to determine the temperature. In larger workplaces the temperature can vary considerably from area to area. In a large store for example the kiosk or checkouts by the door may be colder than the general shopfloor area. The health and safety rep can do a temperature map of the store, showing typical working temperatures at checkouts, in the warehouse, canteen, offices, etc. This can be done with a conventional wall mounted thermometer or a digital temperature probe

If the heating has failed for whatever reason there may be a delay in getting it fixed. Whatever the problem, your employer still has a duty of care. If the workplace is too cold for any reason then they should be looking at other measures to protect staff until the heating can be fixed.

Providing hot drinks, allowing people to wear warmer clothing (even if this breaches uniform requirements) and limiting the amount of time that any individual worker spends in the cold area are all examples of possible measures.

Remember always approach your managers first and if they fail to respond contact your Usdaw rep. They can then take up the issue on your behalf and take it through the company’s procedures if necessary.

Below is a link to the HSE web pages on temperatures.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/index.htm

 Printer Friendly Page

 Email to a Friend

© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
This page: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/healthandsafety/healthandsafety_news/1142516578_8795.html
Last Modified: Tuesday, 15-Dec-2009 02:04:13 EST
Site Credits