These are your rights when it’s too cold to go to work or school
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As much as we might like the fun sides of snow and wintry weather, it is really chuffing freezing cold right now and shivering yourself through the day when you're at work or school isn't much fun at all.
The winter cold has arrived in the UK and the nation is struggling to cope with the conditions as it disrupts transport and is even forcing the National Grid to trigger their 'last resort' of firing up coal power stations.
While snowy conditions carry lots of transport risks, the cold temperatures can make classrooms and workplaces relatively inhospitable locations where you can't hear yourself think over the chattering of your own teeth.
With that in mind many people's thoughts will turn towards the prospect of getting sent home during the cold weather because their school or workplace is too chilly.
Knowing your rights when it comes to the guidelines around safe working practices is important, and if nothing else they could help you get a little bit warmer during these abominably chilly times.
While there are no legal minimum temperatures (or maximum, but there's no danger of hitting those right now), the government recommends you don't let the heat indoors fall below 16ºC for most places.
If you're in a place where people are doing physical work which might help keep them a bit warmer then the recommended minimum temperature is 13ºC.
The government also says that the indoor minimum temperature 'must be reasonable', so while it can legally never be too cold to work, it is important not to leave people absolutely freezing.
Employers have a responsibility to provide other means of heating if the indoor temperature is below these guidelines.
It's worth cracking out the thermometer in your workplace to make sure your conditions are within the guidelines, and that your boss works out some way to warm you up if they're not.
When it comes to schools there are likewise no laws on a certain temperature you have to maintain before calling the whole thing off, but the National Education Union reckons classrooms shouldn't get colder than 18ºC.
Of course, many schools inevitably make the decision during colder spells to call off the school day if snow and ice prevents enough staff and students from safely making it in.
As a kid those are some of the best days ever, the moments of sublime joy that come with hearing your school among those listed closed on the radio or seeing an announcement on the website that school's out for the day.
A few years ago, one headteacher had an ingenious solution to the problem of school days being scuppered due to the cold weather, just don't touch snow.
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