Thermal Comfort

(Text as at October 1997)

Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 'Temperature in Indoor Workplaces' is relevant for staff.

Advisory publications from the Department of Further Education (DFE) deal with aspects of student welfare (Design Note 17 (1981) Guidelines for Environmental Design and Fuel Conservation). A section of that document is held in the Health and Safety Unit.

The above Regulations require that during working hours the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable. It also requires a method of heating or cooling which will not allow into the workplace any fume, gas or vapour of such a character and to such an extent that they are likely to be injurious or offensive to any person.

Further, a sufficient number of thermometers should be placed to enable persons at work to determine the temperature in any workplace inside the building.

The temperature in any workroom should provide, therefore, a reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing. ('Workroom' means a room where people normally work for more than short periods).

The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16°C unless much of the work involves severe physical effort, in which case the temperature should be at least 13°C. These temperatures may not, however, ensure reasonable thermal comfort as this depends on other factors such as air movements and relative humidity.

This provision does not apply where it will be impracticable to maintain such temperatures, for example in rooms which have to be open to the outside or where food or other products have to be kept cold. In such cases the temperature of the room should be kept as close to those mentioned above by:

  • enclosing or insulating the product
  • pre-chilling the product
  • keeping chilled areas as small as possible
  • exposing the product to workroom temperatures as briefly as possible (much of this will be subject to Keele Facilities Management who will have their own Total Quality Service Standards with which they comply.)

Where the temperature in a workroom would otherwise be uncomfortably high, for example because of the design of the building or solar gain, reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a comfortable temperature by, for example:

  • insulating hot pipes
  • providing air-cooling plant
  • shading windows
  • siting workstations away from places subject to radiant heat.

Where a reasonably comfortable temperature cannot be achieved throughout a workroom local heating or cooling (as appropriate) should be provided. In extremely hot weather fans and increased ventilation may be used instead of local cooling.

In parts of the workplace other than workrooms, such as sanitary facilities or rest facilities, the temperature should be reasonable in all the circumstances including the length of time people are likely to be there. Changing rooms and shower rooms should not be cold.

Thermometers should be kept available at a convenient distance from every part of the workplace to persons at work to enable temperatures to be measured throughout the workplace, but need not be provided in each workroom.