Welcome Guest! The IOSH forums are a free resource to both members and non-members. Login or register to use them

Postings made by forum users are personal opinions. IOSH is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any of the information contained in forum postings. Please carefully consider any advice you receive.

Notification

Icon
Error

Options
Go to last post Go to first unread
martynp1000  
#1 Posted : 26 June 2025 15:22:18(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
martynp1000

Welcome back me - a long time absent.

I am looking for a formal / legal definition of a "workplace" if anyone is able to point me in a direction = either in primary / secondary legislation or in determined case law, including any from generations ago.

Context is that I am working with staff at a musem of historic buildings in which the employer is claiming that inside each historic building is not a "workplace" and therefore doesn't need to maintain "reasonable" temperatures.  I can happily quote chapter and verse for modern buildings but this is a bit of a different proposition.

Grateful for any advice.

Martyn

Roundtuit  
#2 Posted : 26 June 2025 15:53:32(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Sorry a museum of historic buildings or a museum in an historic building?

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

“workplace” means, subject to paragraph (2), any premises or part of premises which are not domestic premises and are made available to any person as a place of work, and includes— (a) any place within the premises to which such person has access while at work; and

(b) any room, lobby, corridor, staircase, road or other place used as a means of access to or egress from that place of work or where facilities are provided for use in connection with the place of work other than a public road

Now I suspect you may have issues if the building is listed with any attempt to install heating & ventilation and if sufficiently old with the activity being at unreasonable cost.

The Building Regulations are not retrospective and some of the newer regulations e.g. Construction Products specifically exempt the historic.

Roundtuit  
#3 Posted : 26 June 2025 15:53:32(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

Sorry a museum of historic buildings or a museum in an historic building?

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

“workplace” means, subject to paragraph (2), any premises or part of premises which are not domestic premises and are made available to any person as a place of work, and includes— (a) any place within the premises to which such person has access while at work; and

(b) any room, lobby, corridor, staircase, road or other place used as a means of access to or egress from that place of work or where facilities are provided for use in connection with the place of work other than a public road

Now I suspect you may have issues if the building is listed with any attempt to install heating & ventilation and if sufficiently old with the activity being at unreasonable cost.

The Building Regulations are not retrospective and some of the newer regulations e.g. Construction Products specifically exempt the historic.

Users browsing this topic
Guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.