Office temperature

A question about : Office temperature

Hi,

I realise that this is quite a different topic, but I consider it covers my basic rights at work.

Our workplace has a very badly designed air-con system, making some offices very cold, whilst other offices barely feel the difference of air-con at all.

I work in one of the very cold offices, where the temperature this week is fluctuating between 15 and 17 degrees. Realistically it's sittingt for the majority of the time at 16 degrees, which i believe is bang on the HSE minimum temperature for a workplace.

Our work is computer-based, with very little movement involved all day. I have spoken to our health and safety advisor, who has basically taken the stance that it's above the mimimum, so why are you complaining? - Meanwhile, my hands are going numb and i've had to start wearing my jacket inside.

What else can I do? there are four of us in the office, and each of us is cold and each of us has complained, but it seems to make no difference.

in all honesty, I think the business realises that the fix would be extremely costly, and are trying to put off getting it done.

Help would be appreciated as to my rights and any course of action.

Thanks

Martin

Best answers:

• Sticky one as the minimum and maximum temperatures were removed from the H&S law a number of years ago, if the temperature is "uncomfortable" your employer has to take steps to mitigate this, protective clothing, regular breaks in the warm, hot drinks etc, same if working in high temps, breaks int he cold, cold drinks and PPE.
  Is it a big organisation? do you have a HR department, put it in writing to them rather than just verbally complain, do you have a union? try then if you do.
  It really depends if you are OK "putting your head above the parapet" will the others back you in the office? you will possibly get further and not damage your job if they do, plenty of dead office hero's out there!
  Other than that fingerless gloves, wolly hat and thermal knickers, if you have visiting customers the site of a Mr/Mrs Crachet in the corner focuses minds on repairs!
• Hi all,
  thanks for the advice.
  My company is a national one with 52 offices around England. Stupidly, engineering control everyone's AC from a central location in chesterfield (they obviously didn't trust the local offices to use their controls sensibly).
  Our particular building is hermetically sealed (at least, the windows are) - so there are no opening windows in the entire building. If the AC system was a bit more sensibly installed, it would not have such a negative effect. The problem is that it's one large AC unit outside the building, which vents air into each room via air ducts in the roof cavity. Because we're first on the list for the air circulation, we get the 17 degree cold air.
  There is a heater in here which we borrowed from security who sit in the gatehouse all year round - we have had to use it so much over the summer that it's broken down on us.
  My next course of action, given the above responses will be such:
  1. I am already wearing a jumper and jacket and still cold, so that option is covered. I don't think it's quite sane that i should have to wear fingerless gloves and a hat to sit in my office and use a computer, when it's about 20 degrees outside still. (plus this might even be a health risk going from warm to cold air and back again every day?)
  2. I will contact my union to get their H&S area rep down and have a look.
  3. I will write to the unit manager specifically with our names on the list to say that we are fed up of working in a cold office and ask for something to be done.
  Does that seem like a logical plan?