Maximum Workplace Temperature, any rights?

[dd11]

I work in a small editing room about 2.6m x 3.13m which is sealed off from the rest of the also small office. It has no daylight/windows and therefore no airflow.
I've been here for a few years, and it's always been an bit irritable with the heat that builds up, but myself and others generally joke about it and I take breaks when I need to and is usually ok.

However, this year I have another person in the room with me most days and it's just been ridiculous, I know the hot weather won't last long, but even in the winter its uncomfortably warm. Whoever comes to speak in the room with me has to stand by the door. I've got 3 large desk fans running full speed all day in my face, but its just warm air.

The temp these past few weeks averages at around 29C to 32C which to me doesn't sound like much, but when theres no flow of freash air, its just carbon dioxide being thrown around the room, it doesn't feel too pleasant.
Without sounding like i'm talking to a gp, whenever im at work I now feel really drowsy, headaches, and just keep daydreaming, started to get a random nosebleed, an it's making me moody too.

I've had a search if there was any law or rights on work place temperature and found these previous cable forum threads from 2003 and 2005:
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22...t-to-work.html
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22...e-at-work.html

...but wanted to know if anything had changed since, instead of just being recomendations, just like on the following sites:
http://www.personneltoday.com/articl...workplace.html
http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/faq.htm

As much as my bosses like me, I highly doubt that they will buy a air con unit
So I was just thinking of just getting an 'air cooler' for myself, iknow its not air con, but are they any good for a small room? like this one on ebay... 3-1-AIR-COOLER-HUMIDIFIER-EVAPORATOR-PURIFIER
or will it be total garbage?

Thanks

[pabscars]

AFAIK there is no upper temp limit, however from memory there is a minimum legal requirement for how often the air in the room is replaced, I,m not sure what it is without doing some research but have a look at the little portable A/C units instead of the evaporative coolers, you just need a hole in the wall for the pipe to vent outside or into another room, and they only cost about £300.

Just a thought

[Acathla]

AFAIK there is no minimum or maximum legal temperature. There used to be a minimum but that was abolished (or I may be totally off ball).

I am sure you will get some good advice here but speak to your bosses, tell them the situation and at the very least see if they will purchase some fans!

[dd11]

Originally Posted by pabscars

have a look at the little portable A/C units instead of the evaporative coolers, you just need a hole in the wall for the pipe to vent outside or into another room, and they only cost about £300.

Honestly, that would be a dream, *cue puppy dog eyes* lol
but yeah I just don't know if they actually take me seriously about it all :/

---------- Post added at 13:28 ---------- Previous post was at 13:25 ----------

Originally Posted by Acathla

speak to your bosses, tell them the situation and at the very least see if they will purchase some fans!

Yup, they do sympathize with me, and I have all the fans in the world, which helps with air flow, just not with cooling.

[pabscars]

How does the other person feel about the conditions, can you both not approach your boss and ask him/her to pull their finger out, and get it sorted.

[Rob]

Don't bother with those air cooler things. They are ineffective.

The portable air con units sold by the DIY stores are quite effective. But they will create background noise and you do need an external wall for the discharge hose. Actually in my office I've stuck the hose into a redundant fireplace and it then vents up the old chimney.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require that every enclosed workplace (such as an office) is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air. These workplaces should be sufficiently well-ventilated so that stale air and air which is hot or humid because of the processes or equipment in the workplace is replaced at a reasonable rate with fresh, unpolluted air.

taken from http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/a...r-quality.aspx

[Pauls9]

We've got one of those air coolers at home. It drops the room temp by two or three degrees, which is a help but wouldn't sort your problem. £300 for a proper air-con shouldn't be beyond the funds of pretty well any employer.

[dd11]

Thanks for the posts guys, been reading alot of varied reviews on various air coolers, an I think it may just be another big box in an already crowded room, with little benefit. I will have a proper chat with the boss an see what happens.

[pabscars]

Originally Posted by Rob

Don't bother with those air cooler things. They are ineffective.

The portable air con units sold by the DIY stores are quite effective. But they will create background noise and you do need an external wall for the discharge hose. Actually in my office I've stuck the hose into a redundant fireplace and it then vents up the old chimney.

taken from http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/a...r-quality.aspx

Also the Approved Code Of Practice (ACOP) should give specific guidance on how often the air should be replaced and I think its about 8 litres per second per person or there abouts.

Your boss is obviously a tight git so I cant see him/her forking out for an specialist to assess the environmental factors surrounding your workplace activities.

It should be mentioned on any half decent risk assessment that there is a need for additional investigations by a competent person on the issues you've raised.

But being one to always find a cheap and reasonable solution, have you got a suspended ceiling? and could you possibly remove a few tiles to see if this helps exhaust the unwanted heat ?

Just a thought

---------- Post added at 15:11 ---------- Previous post was at 15:06 ----------

Originally Posted by dd11

Thanks for the posts guys, been reading alot of varied reviews on various air coolers, an I think it may just be another big box in an already crowded room, with little benefit. I will have a proper chat with the boss an see what happens.

The little portable units do work a treat, especially in small areas.

We've got one in our purchasing department that gets flicked on in the summer months, and you wouldn't believe how much heat it sucks out.

Good luck anyway

[dd11]

Originally Posted by pabscars

But being one to always find a cheap and reasonable solution, have you got a suspended ceiling? and could you possibly remove a few tiles to see if this helps exhaust the unwanted heat ?

Just a thought

That is a good thought actually, but unfortionatly theres rooms above us an the ceiling is solid

[slowcoach]

I used to put my feet in a bowl of water under my desk when we had a heatwave, then all I had to do was dream that I was at Blackpool, air conditioners – Bah! Humbug!

[Pauls9]

Originally Posted by slowcoach

I used to put my feet in a bowl of water under my desk when we had a heatwave, then all I had to do was dream that I was at Blackpool, air conditioners – Bah! Humbug!

Was it after you installed the piles of sand and the ice cream van that lost you that job?

[martyh]

Originally Posted by dd11

I work in a small editing room about 2.6m x 3.13m which is sealed off from the rest of the also small office. It has no daylight/windows and therefore no airflow.....>snip

have a look at this ,basically it does state that there are no maximum requirements in law ..but the employer does have a legal requirement to provide a reasonable working temperature which would be agreed by both


partieshttp://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/law.htm

[Delta Whiskey]

What is the maximum/minimum temperature in the workplace? http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/temperature.htm

Workplace temperature and thermal comfort http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/index.htm

[slowcoach]

Originally Posted by Pauls9

Was it after you installed the piles of sand and the ice cream van that lost you that job?

The piles of sand and the ice cream van didn't pose a problem, it was the donkeys ... what with them constantly running through the showroom then turning round and running back, I guess old habits die hard.