A

SEMINAR PRESENTATION
MANAGING WORKPLACE TEMPERATURE
INTRODUCTION
While comfort cannot be absolutely
defined, something can be said about the
physiological limits within which humans
operate(Boardman, 1991; Wilkinson et al,
2001).
At the most basic level, there is
evidence of a lessening of physical and
psychological distress when hard-to-heat
housing in the UK improved to provide a
basic standard of ventilation and warmth
(Henwood, 1997).
 INTRO CONT……
• This standard is normally taken to be the
one set by the World Health Organization:
16°C for people in a living room and 13°C
elsewhere in the home.
• Thermal comfort is defined as „the state of
mind, which expresses satisfaction with the
thermal environment; a definition quickly
comprehended, but hard to capture in
physical parameters.
 THERMAL COMFORT EMPLOYERS GUIDE

 This section outlines your responsibilities as an

employer, and suggests some ways you can manage
a heat stress, thermal comfort, or cold stress,
problem in your workplace.

MANAGING WORKPLACE TEMPERATURE

 In workplaces where temperature effects in indoor

environments are a risk, it is vital that management
provides a visible commitment to the health and
well-being of their employees.
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.

 In the event of an unresolved dispute, employees may

contact their local environmental health office or HSE office
for advice on how best to take the matter forward.
 In many workplaces, temperature concerns may
only occur during unscheduled repair and
maintenance work, when heating, ventilation and
air conditioning systems either break down or
don't work as intended, eg during the hottest or
coldest months(P. O. Fanger 1970).

 When this occurs, it is important to consider the

possible impact of thermal discomfort has on
employees.
 If thermal discomfort is a risk, and your
employees are complaining and/or reporting
illnesses that may be caused by the thermal
environment, then you will be required to
review the situation and if necessary implement
appropriate controls to manage the risks:

 It is the responsibility of management to

ensure that a company adapts as necessary to
reduce or eliminate the risk of thermal
discomfort amongst the employees.
 Health surveillance or medical screening may be
required for staff who have special requirements such as
pregnancy, certain illnesses, disabilities and/or maybe
taking medication or are working in known cold/heat
stress environments. Medical advice should be sought if
necessary.

 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.
In the event of an unresolved dispute, employees may
contact their local environmental health office or HSE
office for advice on how best to take the matter forward.
Outdoor working
When working outdoors the weather can have an
effect on an individual's effectiveness and this is not
readily managed using just engineering controls. In
these circumstances some of the most effective
ways of managing these environments is by
introducing some simple administrative controls for
example:
Cold environments
•Ensure the personal protective equipment issued is
appropriate
•Provision of mobile facilities for warming up, and encourage the
drinking of warm fluids such as soup or hot chocolate
•Introduce more frequent rest breaks
•Educate workers about recognizing the early symptoms of cold
stress.{ Boerakker Y and Jeeninga H (2005) }
• providing sufficient breaks to enable employees to get hot drinks
or to warm up in heated areas.
 When People Are Too Hot
You can help ensure thermal comfort in warm conditions by:
 providing air-cooling or air conditioning plant;
 providing fans, eg desk, pedestal or ceiling-mounted fans;
ensuring that windows can be opened;
 siting workstations away from direct sunlight or other situations or
objects that that radiate heat (eg plant, machinery);
 allowing sufficient breaks to enable employees to get cold drinks or
cool down;
relaxing formal dress code – but you must ensure that personal
protective equipment is provided and used if required.
Why is thermal comfort important?
People working in uncomfortably hot and cold environments
are more likely to behave unsafely because their ability to
make decisions and/or perform manual tasks deteriorates.
For example;
 people may take short cuts to get out of cold environments,
or
 Workers might not wear personal protective
equipment properly in hot environments increasing the risks,
or
 The workers' ability to concentrate on a given task may
start to drop off and increases the risk of errors occurring.
Thermal Balance of the Human Body
 The body gets energy from digestion of food through
metabolism, that is the processes involved in
converting foodstuff into living matter and energy.

 In order to maintain a constant deep body

temperature and thermal balance, the total heat
gained must be equal to the total heat lost. Bedford, T.
(1940).
There are two types of metabolism:
 Basal metabolism, which is the heat
production of vegetative, automatic,
processes which are continuous -
breathing, digestion and circulation of
blood.

 Muscular metabolism, which is the heat

production of muscles while carrying out
Some work or activity.
Thermal control for the human body.
Thermal control for the human body.
 SHORTCOMING
What the Law says
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 Approved
Code of Practice suggests a minimum temperature in workrooms should
normally be at least 13 degrees Celsius (13⁰C)

These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements; the employer’s

essential duty is to determine what reasonable comfort will be in the
particular circumstances. {Chappells H and Shove E (2004)}

 A reasonable temperature for a workplace should depends on work

activity and the environmental conditions of the workplace. {Energy and
Buildings 4, issue 6, July 2002}
The current international thermal comfort standard used by
ASHRAE1 (ISO 7730) is based on experiments in climate
chambers, many of which were completed in the 1960s.

 This approach combines the theory of heat transfer with the

physiology of thermoregulation to determine a range of comfort
temperatures which occupants of buildings will find
comfortable.{ Ackermann M. (2002)}

 The range is determined by a ‘PMV’ (predicted mean vote),

derived from studies of individuals in tightly controlled
conditions. According to advocates, it is feasible and desirable to
engineer buildings to provide thermal comfort within the
narrow range of temperatures derived from such experiments.
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