Your Guide to Workplace Temperature Regulations in the UK

Employees do their best work when they are comfortable. Excessive heat or cold can impact the productivity, focus and performance of your staff members, potentially leading to an unmotivated workforce and sub-par output.

But what exactly are the workplace heating regulations here in the UK? What are your legal requirements as a business owner or manager?

In this guide to workplace temperature regulations, we will examine what the law says in regards to acceptable working temperatures, and outline the consequences of an uncomfortable environment for staff.

What does the law say?

There are actually no legal requirements for your workplace to be a specific temperature. However, the government has issued some workplace temperature guidelines, dictating that:

• During working hours, an indoor workplace must be at a ‘reasonable’ temperature
• The suggested temperature minimum temperature is 16℃ for environments with non-physical work, and 13℃ for environments with more physical work
• There are no suggestions for the maximum acceptable temperature

To support a comfortable environment and temperature, employees must also have access to purified or fresh air that is uncontaminated, and this is in accordance with health and safety laws.

With no strict laws to adhere to, you should still remember that workers have the legal right to be protected from hazards. Extreme workplace temperatures count as a hazard, and so they are protected by law in this regard.

How do you determine a reasonable working temperature?

The guidance is clear on minimal temperatures, but that still leaves the question of what the optimum working temperature should be for your workplace.

To determine this, you should assess the temperature risks at your workplace and gather feedback from employees themselves. From this, you can make adjustments accordingly to ensure the requirement for a ‘reasonable’ temperature is met. You may also wish to have seasonal temperature guidance in place to accommodate for different times of year.

How to ensure your workplace is ready for winter

As a business owner or manager, it is your duty to ensure comfortable temperatures this winter. To achieve this, you must have a high-performance and recently serviced heating system in place that can sustain your workplace throughout the colder months.

Make sure you arrange for a heating and boiler servicing to identify any developing problems you are unaware of. Additionally, you should repair any smaller issues you’ve noticed before they become any more significant at the height of winter.

This is a vital step to take during winter, ensuring that your workplace can support the wellbeing of staff, while also reducing the likelihood of boiler breakdowns hitting at the very worst moment.

Here at PlumbGas, we are a five-star reviewed heating solutions company for homes and businesses throughout Stafford. With exemplary high standards for both commercial and domestic customers, we ensure a safe and reasonable working temperature with our range of commercial heating services . Whether you require a routine boiler servicing or an emergency heating engineer , we are here to assist.