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2. What the law says

Is it too cold or hot to work?

Find out how you can protect workers from uncomfortable temperatures[8].

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations require employers to provide a reasonable indoor temperature in the workplace.

This depends on the work activity and the environmental conditions.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations require reasonable workplace temperatures for indoor areas of construction sites.

Where the site is outdoors, you must provide protection from adverse weather. Site rest facilities must also be maintained at an appropriate temperature.

Assessing the risks

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers must:

Temperature in the workplace is one of the risks you should assess, whether the work is being done indoors or outdoors.

You should consult with workers[10] or their representatives on the best ways to cope with high or low temperatures.

Minimum workplace temperature

The Approved Code of Practice[11] on the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations suggests the minimum temperature for working indoors should normally be at least:

  • 16°C or
  • 13°C if much of the work involves rigorous physical effort

You can find more advice on protecting workers from feeling too cold[12].

Higher workplace temperatures

There is no maximum temperature for workplaces[13].

However, all workers are entitled to an environment where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Heat is classed as a hazard and comes with legal obligations like any other hazard.

Find out what you should do to protect workers in high temperatures[14].

What is a reasonable working temperature?

As an employer, you must decide what a reasonable temperature should be in your workplace:

  • assess the risk
  • act on any findings by putting controls in place, including temporary or seasonal ones
  • use our heat stress checklist (PDF) [15] if workers are at risk from extreme temperatures

Find out more

We have more advice on managing workplace temperature including guidance on thermal comfort[16], heat stress[17] and cold stress[18].

Link URLs in this page

  1. Is it too cold or hot to work?https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  2. Managing workplace temperaturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/managing.htm
  3. How workers can help keep temperatures comfortablehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/how-you-keep-comfortable.htm
  4. Outdoor workinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/outdoor-working.htm
  5. Dehydrationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/dehydration.htm
  6. Heat stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/heat-stress.htm
  7. Cold stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/cold-stress.htm
  8. protect workers from uncomfortable temperatureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  9. assess the risks to workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
  10. consult with workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/consult.htm
  11. Approved Code of Practicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l24.htm
  12. protecting workers from feeling too coldhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  13. temperature for workplaceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  14. protect workers in high temperatureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  15. heat stress checklisthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/assets/docs/heat-stress-checklist.pdf
  16. thermal comforthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/index.htm
  17. heat stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/heat-stress.htm
  18. cold stresshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/cold-stress.htm
  19. Previous page Is it too hot to work https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm
  20. Next page Managing workplace temperatures https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/managing.htm
  21. View a printable version of the whole guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/print.htm
  22. ACOP on the Workplace Regulationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l24.htm
  23. Workplace health, safety and welfarehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg244.htm
  24. Managing risks and risk assessment at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
  25. Handling food in a cold environmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/food/chilled.htm
  26. Personal protective equipment (PPE) at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ppe/index.htm
  27. Thermal comforthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/index.htm
  28. Ventilation in the workplacehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/ventilation/index.htm
  29. Construction (Design and Management) Regulationshttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/34/made
  30. NHS Choices - Heat wave be preparedhttps://www.nhs.uk/Live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/

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