Posted By Haggis JM
This is a follow-on from another thread...

I am someone who can tolerate cold far more than heat, I haven't had my office heater on at any time ofer the past two winters and have had the window open for most of the last week.

Why do we have a legal minimum office temperature but not a maximum?

Posted By stephen d clarke
Hi,
I guess as we live in a temperate climate, where we have heating to maintain a minimum temperature and its the norm at home and at work; but air conditioning is not universal in the workplace so its not practical to control the max temp. Reverse probably true in somewhere like Texas.
Steve

Posted By Graham Bullough
The regulation about indoor workplace temperature neatly avoids specifying a maximum and just refers to "reasonable", no doubt because everybody is different as regards what is, for them, a comfortable temperature range. Consequently it creates scope for discussion and debate as to what is reasonable and when employers should take what sort of measures to deal with high temperatures, especially during hot spells in summer.

As an aside, my missus and I had a holiday in Namibia last June, timed deliberately to coincide with what is mid-winter in Southern Africa. For us the weather was just right - dry and not too hot. However, it was curious to observe some of the indigenous Namibians wearing coats and warm hats because they found the weather too cold. Presumably they would have less problem during the baking hot conditions of their summers which would tend to frazzle non-indigenous people.

In my experience, it appears that women tend to prefer well-heated offices. My missus is somewhat unusual in this respect and considers the open-plan office where she works to be overheated for much of the year, while her colleagues evidently have no problem with it. Perhaps my wife's perception of temperature stems partly from being a Scot (something in the genes?) and most probably from having grown up on a farm. Though she comments from time to time about her workplace being too hot and stuffy, it's great that she never complains about the cold when we go Nordic ski-ing or mountain walking in winter.

Posted By S T
A simple reason for not having a max recommended temperature is the scale of temperature in UK. It can get cold enough to cause ill health but not hot enough to cause 'substancial' health problems.

However, it magic words used are 'reasonable & comfortable'. so here you go.

Posted By safetyamateur
Not sure that the 'minus 20/shorts' argument is going to work with Mable in Accounts.

But this thread's a little more interesting than I thought it would be.

Of course, this time of year is the 'heating still on/freak mild day/"it's boiling"' thing. When only a week ago it was "It's too cold! Can we going home?".

I love my job

Posted By Ann Stansfield
As Safety Advisor (and female)working in a hospital environment the temperature has to be based on risk assessment taking into consideration the needs of the patients and the staff and trying to hit an acceptable mid-way.
You also have to take into consideration any health issues of staff. Conditions such as Raynaud's can make life very difficult for people working in temperatures that are too low - typing in gloves can be quite tricky!!
In a shared environment you have to rely on common sense and compromise - as adults you would hope that this would not be too difficult.

Posted By steve e ashton
To answer my own question:

The Fuel and Electricity (Heating) (Control) (Amendment) Order 1980 was introduced in the interests of energy conservation. This stipulates that employers may not use energy for the sole purpose of raising temperatures in excess of 19°C.

This order is (apparently, so far as I can make out) still in force today.

But I don't know who is supposed to enforce it...

Steve

Posted By Haggis JM
oh how I would love to put every office thermostat at 19C!!!

Can you imagine the outcry? ;o)

Posted By S T
I think people should have got the answer from this forum. Different people prefer to work at different room temperature. One person’s ideal temperature may not be so comfortable for the other. Therefore, importance is given on ‘comfortable’ & ‘reasonable’ temperature.

Hagis,

I think working for 12 hours at -20C is not very ideal temperature for health.
also
Automatic thermostats are available which automatically ‘shuts off’ the heating system when a required maximum temperature is achieved in a workplace.

Posted By MT
Ian, call that a revelation?

I'm still reeling from S T's revelation that thermostats have been invented! ;-)

(I'm only having a friday afternoon giggle, before anyone starts getting offended)

By the way, it's true, Haggis does run outdoors in shorts in the north east of Scotland in winter.

Posted By ScotsAM
Acclimitisation plays a role in this also.

Those who have there heating on at home all year round will be acclimitised to the heat, while those like me who find 15-16 degrees comfortable at home will find an office temperature of 20 degrees a little on the warm side. A little like the point made earlier about African locals dressing up for their winter.

Posted By MT
Do not what? Have a tartan jacket or run outdoors?

Posted By NoMoney.com


I hope you keep your "neeps" coverd at -20.

From a woman of a certain age that hasnt been cold in the last 5 yaers

It is Friday!

Posted By ScotsAM
This relates back to Relative Humidity. The body must get used to 'channeling' the water into sweating in order to get the benefit. You need to be in a position to need to rehydrate in order to get the benefit or else all you'll do is urinate it back out.

For example in our climate, copious amount of water must be taken on following or during exercise, preferably at low humidity.

If in a high humidity environment, sweating then becomes less useful at cooling our body, and combined with high temperatures, radiation becomes useless which then means the body then cannot cope with high temperatures regardless of water intake as it does very little to cool the core temperature.

Posted By Pete48
And so it appears that the answer to the question raised is that we do not have a maximum temperature because there is no one answer to what it should be and we have a minimum because it has been there since Methuselah had an office?
Don't you just love this forum? Where are the experts when you need one?
Being the cynic I am, It is likely that the reason for the minimum was that periods of cold weather would have been much longer and more frequent than any period of high temperature at the time that the order was originally entered into law. The cold would have a clear impact on productivity. But it could be that the increased health and physical accident risk to workers was recognised and it was prudent to define a generic figures because of the matters above. I have always taken on trust, as it were, that humans can genera1lly cope better with heat than they can with cold? We are, after all, "tropical" animals!
I am certain of one thing and that is the lack of a maximum is nothing to do with the UK climate.
Several and various OSHA documents include the statement that "office temperature and humidity conditions are generally a matter of human comfort rather than hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm."
You can also find reference from Canada that confirms that there is no single maximum in their legislation.
OSHA do not specify max or min temperatures. No doubt other countries would be similar. Guidance is available on how to measure and what to measure together with some indicative ranges but no specific one size fits all. So, for example, one can find reference to a temp control within the range 20-24 C and humidity control between 20-60%. No doubt we have something similar, probably in the Building Regs or a BS.
So the lack of a maximum is clearly nothing to do with UK climate conditions.
Incidentally, this subject provides the biggest UK based response from most search engines that I have come across in a long time. UK residents are clearly obsessed with the maximum working temperatures in their workplaces. No wonder we don't have anything in law!

Posted By Haggis JM
Excellent!!!! Lovin' it!!! :o)


Two points though:

I think the first revenge of the employees would be to turn down the thermostat on the factory shower when I've run to work...


I have my space booked with Auld Nick, but the hell is that of my Norse ancestors - cold, not hot!

Posted By george259
Ah but we do have a legal maximum temp! not under any H&S laws, but the 1973 Energy Act (which by the way has never been repealed) it's ilegal under said Act to heat commercial premises over 63deg F!

Offices being commercial premises are still subject to this Act, but for the sake of my own Health & Safety, I'm not going to be the one who turns down the heat in the office....the girls would lynch me!