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Offices: Temperature and humidity – what are the “rules”?

Complaints about air-conditioning and heating in offices are very common - it is either too hot or too cold; the temperature varies drastically through the day; the draughts are terrible; etc. It's not only the temperature that affects how people feel, but also the humidity levels and air movement. There are no regulations specifying standards for minimum temperatures in the workplace, humidity or air-flow in Victoria.

However, both the employer and the occupier of a workplace have a duty of care under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2004 to provide as far as practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health - and therefore should be doing something about unsatisfactory air-conditioning or heating. The employer also has the duty to monitor conditions at the workplace - this includes temperature.

The Code of Practice for Workplaces covers this in a bit more detail, but is still not very helpful, stating:

"The workplace environment should be maintained within a temperature range to protect employees from thermal stress."

Regarding heat, the code suggests that a temperature of at least 18 degrees be maintained in offices - but while this is OK in winter, it is generally too cold in summer, when everyone tends to wear lighter clothes!!

In addition, there are also provisions that can be used to protect workers from cold. The employer should comply with these, and the provisions could be useful in developing policies in your workplace.

  • Subject to clause 52 dealing with outdoor work, workplaces should be capable of being heated during cold weather. A temperature of at least 15°C should be maintained where practicable where manual work is performed. A temperature of at least 18°C should be maintained where practicable where the work is performed whilst sitting or when the work requires little movement. Where special cold temperature requirements result from the work process, appropriate protective clothing should be provided. (Clause 50)
  • Clause 51 of the Code provides advice on heating facilities (maintenance and advice on use).
  • Outdoor workers should be protected from extremes of weather by the erection of a shelter, tent or wind break or provision of suitable clothing. Heating should be provided in change rooms, dining rooms and dining areas used by outdoor workers.(Clause 52)

Note: Under the 2004 OHS Act, Codes of Practise no longer exist. A Compliance Code covering the workplace and amenities is currently being developed, but in the meantime, the Codes of Practice should be considered 'state of knowledge' - and employers should refer to it. For the moment though, OHS reps can use the Codes of Practice to support their arguments with the employer.

So, are there Guidelines?

Generally, the temperature in offices should vary according to the outside temperature, and should be changed month by month. Mostly, it should be about 21 or 22 degrees, and it is suggested that this would be a good place to start. Adjustments should then be made from that point, checking that the air conditioning reaches all areas in the office, and that windows receiving substantial quantities of sunlight are not causing problems.

Comcare, the Federal version of WorkSafe Victoria, recommends that the comfort level in summer when people are wearing summer clothing is between 23 and 26 degrees. This is in their publication: Air Conditioning and thermal comfort in Australian Public Service Offices.

There is more information in the Australian Standard AS1668.2: The use of ventilation and airconditioning in buildings - Ventilation design for indoor air contaminant control. Australian Standards can be purchased on-line through the Standards Association shop website. Other contact details are also on the website. Local or educational institution libraries may have copies of Australian Standards, so check these.

Often the problem is that the airconditioning units need servicing, or that the rate and direction of air flow are unsatisfactory. There is a booklet called Officewise available (free) from WorkSafe (03 9641 1555). It can also be downloaded from the website.

Officewise recommends the following to improve thermal comfort:

  • Regulate air conditioning for temperature and humidity;
  • Avoid locating workstations directly in front of or below air conditioning outlets;
  • Install deflectors on air vents to direct airflow away from people. These measure will prevent staff being annoyed by draughts;
  • Control direct sunlight (radiant heat) with blinds, louvres and the like
  • Minimise draughts and thermal differences between the head and the feet (thermal gradients)
  • Ensure adequate air flow. Feelings of stuffiness can result when air flow is low, and draughts result when air flow is high. An air flow rate of between 0.1 and 0.2 metres per second is desirable.

Humidity

With regard to humidity, if it's too high this will cause discomfort (excessive perspiration, exacerbation of the effects of high temperature, feelings of 'closeness', etc) and if it's too low it can cause respiratory problems. Optimum humidity levels are between 40% and 60% - but in any case they should be kept between 30% and 70%. Humidity levels below 40% will begin to cause problems for workers with conditions such as sinusitis.

Advice for OHS reps

If people in your office are unhappy then the health and safety representative should approach management to request that the following things be checked:

  • whether the system is working properly or needs maintenance, adjustment etc;
  • the temperature in various places within the building (this can vary according to a number of things, including radiant heat, where the thermostats are located, etc);
  • air flow;
  • humidity; and so on.

This is a duty under Section 21(4)(d) of the OHS Act: "monitor the conditions at any workplace under the control and management of the employer". If necessary, the employer should bring someone in with the appropriate level of expertise - Section 21(4)(c): "employ or engage persons who being suitably qualified in relation to occupational health and safety are able to provide advice to the employer in relation to the health and safety of employees."

What if the air conditioning system breaks down?

The information contained in the Commonwealth Guidelines suggests that air conditioning systems usually deliver more than enough fresh air than is necessary for health. The Guidelines also suggest that a common sense approach when air conditioning systems are "off" is to evacuate affected parts of the building when the working conditions become unacceptably hot, cold or smelly.

With respect to air temperature, in a still office environment, there should be no adverse health effects (for normally healthy people) from working when the dry bulb air temperature (that is the inside thermometer) is within the range of 18 to 30 degrees Celsius. Outside of this range some staff may become affected and it is essential that corrective action be taken if staff are to remain in the building for other than short periods of time.

Experience also shows that outside the range of 20 to 26 degrees people will become uncomfortable and productivity is likely to drop.

Therefore in the situation where only part of the air conditioning is working, the indoor temperature should be monitored, and where the temperature exceeds 26 degrees, management should provide free standing ventilation fans as an interim measure until the air conditioning is fully functioning. There may be some other options in some situations, like working from home as a short term measure, but the emphasis should be on fixing up the air conditioner as soon as possible.

If the inside temperature goes above 30 degrees Celsius and staff are feeling unwell then measures must be taken to cool them down, and they should complete an incident form to document the situation. In some cases, depending on how they feel, staff may need to go home. In such a situation, where management has not been able to implement reasonable measures to address the OHS problem, staff should not incur any pay penalty. Contact your union for information and advice in such situations.

See Also:

Last amended August 2008