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Here's How Cold It Needs To Get For UK Employees To Be Sent Home

Here's How Cold It Needs To Get For UK Employees To Be Sent Home

Employers are required to keep the temperature at a comfortable level

James Dawson

James Dawson

With temperatures set to reach -10C in some areas of the UK tonight and meteorologists predicting that we could be looking at the worst winter in five years, there's just one question on every slacker's lips: how cold does it need to get for us to be given the day off?

Well, although there's no specific law on how cold is too cold, government guidance suggests a minimum of 16C, or 13C if employees are doing physical work. And, as part of health and safety law, employers are required to:

  • Keep the temperature at a comfortable level
  • Provide clean and fresh air

Credit: PA Images

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 states (somewhat obtusely) that "during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable."

A 'reasonable temperature' for a workplace depends on the nature of the job being done and the environmental conditions of the workplace - so what's considered reasonable in a bakery isn't the same as for a scaffolder.

If you think it's freezing to the point of discomfort in your office, it might be worth speaking to HR to see if they will send you home. Though more likely they'll probably just crank up the thermostat.

Credit: PA Images

A spokesperson for union Unite told LADbible they would welcome a tightening of laws around temperature in the workplace.

They said: "When working indoors, employers should ensure that the temperature does not fall below 16 degrees centigrade. If you are undertaking very physical work, the temperature should not be below 13 degrees centigrade.

"There is currently no maximum temperature, which is an issue that Unite has long campaigned to have introduced in order to better protect the workforce.

"There are currently no rules for a minimum outdoor working temperature; however your employer must make modifications to protect your health. This includes supplying suitable protective clothing, introducing more regular rest breaks to allow a worker to regain warmth, providing mobile facilities and warm drinks to help workers stay warm, and educating workers on cold stress and hypothermia."

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

Topics: UK News

James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbible’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing EU’ series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the ‘U OK M8?’ series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its ‘Climate Change’ initiative in partnership with National Geographic.

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@thejaytoday