Minimum working temperature regulations for working indoors
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 specify that during working hours the temperature at indoor places of work, including an office or elsewhere, should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing.
The Regulations helpfully give minimum comfortable working temperatures, which are:
- 13°C if the work is strenuous
- 16°C if it is not
Maximum working temperature regulations for indoor working
The Regulations don't give a maximum comfortable working temperature. They do however provide advice on what to do if the working temperature is likely to get high enough to cause discomfort, such as:
- Insulate hot machinery or pipes
- Provide air-conditioning
- Provide shades or blinds for windows
- Move workstations away from areas subject to radiant heat
Optimum working temperature
The optimum working temperature for an office is generally recommended to be around 21-23°C. In order to avoid extreme differences between outdoor and indoor temperatures its sometimes suggested that this can be increased slightly if it's particularly hot outside.
Outdoor working temperature regulations
There's obviously no way you can control the working temperature for working outside, but the Health & Safety Executive provides guidance on working safetly in hot or cold environments as well as how to take steps to protect workers from sun exposure.