Kent is on the verge of a mini heat wave.
Unless you have some sort of comfort cooling in your office or workplace then it’s probably going to get pretty uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable is one thing but what does the law say about working temperature.
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 HSE say “The temperature of the workplace is one of the potential hazards that employers should address to meet their legal obligations. HSE recommends that employers should consult with employees or their representatives, to establish sensible means to cope with high temperatures.”
HSE recommend that you listen to your employees and if they are complaining then you should look for simple solution first such as:
- closing windows in air conditioned offices;
- pulling down blinds to prevent solar radiant heat etc;
- providing employees with sufficient control to adapt the environment by adding or removing layers of clothing;
- look – visually inspect the workplace to identify hazards that may impact on employee thermal comfort;
If that fails then you can go through their 5 step risk assessment.
Step 1: Identify Hazards
Step 2: Decide who is at risk
Step 3: Evaluate risks and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or should more be done
Step 4: Record your findings
Step 5 : Review your assessment
There is a whole of useful info on the HSE website to help you cope http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/index.htm
We have a simple rule in our office – when the temperature hits over 25 degrees celsius the boss buys the ice cream.
