Minimum Acceptable Room Temperature

[Guest Wolfie]

Can someone remind me what the minimum acceptable room temperature is in a nursery - I've hunted high and low, looked in the EYFS, and can't find the actual figure anywhere...I'm going mad!

[Guest]

found this

 

What is the maximum/minimum temperature in the workplace?

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 lay down particular requirements for most aspects of the working environment

 

Regulation 7 of these Regulations deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces and states that:

 

During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.

 

However, the application of the regulation depends on the nature of the workplace i.e. a bakery, a cold store, an office, a warehouse.

 

The associated ACOP goes on to explain:

 

‘The temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing. Where such a temperature is impractical because of hot or cold processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable. 'Workroom' means a room where people normally work for more than short periods.

 

The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures may not, however, ensure reasonable comfort, depending on other factors such as air movement and relative humidity.’

 

Where the temperature in a workroom would otherwise be uncomfortably high, for example because of hot processes or the design of the building, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a reasonably comfortable temperature, for example by:

 

insulating hot plants or pipes;

providing air-cooling plant;

shading windows;

siting workstations away from places subject to radiant heat.

Where a reasonably comfortable temperature cannot be achieved throughout a workroom, local cooling should be provided. In extremely hot weather fans and increased ventilation may be used instead of local cooling.

 

Where, despite the provision of local cooling, workers are exposed to temperatures which do not give reasonable comfort, suitable protective clothing and rest facilities should be provided. Where practical there should be systems of work (for example, task rotation) to ensure that the length of time for which individual workers are exposed to uncomfortable temperatures is limited.

 

References

L24, Workplace health, safety and welfare, (ISBN 0 7176 0413 6 - available from HSE Books)

Thermal comfort microsite

 

 

HEALTH AND SAFETY EXECUTIVE SITE

 

Peggy

[Running Bunny]

I'd go along with the info that Peggy has found - I've always advised 16 degrees where people are active i.e. in the rooms and 18 degrees where people are sedantry i.e. office-based staff.

[hali]

oww dont get me started Wolfie - alawys fighting over this one!!! we go by 16 though!

[Guest Wolfie]

Thank you everyone!

[louby loo]

Well, this is all ok - BUT what happens if we impliment a true 'open door policy' and children have full free flow inside and out in all weathers - do we add to global warming by wacking the heating up to maintian indoor temps - or all just put coats on as they do at a friends of mines setting?

 

xxxx

[hali]

quite agree Louby Lou - we all had coats on this year

[jennyjenkinz]

Generally through the winter months I look like a michelin man...7 layers and scarf and coat! Inside and outside as the temperature is always the same with the doors open

[Guest]

This is something we are worried about as we have been pulled up before by Ofsted about the temperature in the building. It is a community building and we have little control over the heating which is difficult at the best of times. This year we have finally got our outdoors area and we can freeflow with it beautifully. All the staff agree it has been fantastic but we are unsure exactly how it will work when it gets cold and wet. One thing we have decided is a guard on the door to stop them taking books outside when it is raining. Does anyone know where we can get waterproof books?!

[Lyanne]

This is something we are worried about as we have been pulled up before by Ofsted about the temperature in the building. It is a community building and we have little control over the heating which is difficult at the best of times. This year we have finally got our outdoors area and we can freeflow with it beautifully. All the staff agree it has been fantastic but we are unsure exactly how it will work when it gets cold and wet. One thing we have decided is a guard on the door to stop them taking books outside when it is raining. Does anyone know where we can get waterproof books?!

 

At the end of this term, we had to take the unhappy step of taking away all the books and saying 'You can only have books down with a teacher' (in this context 'teacher' means any adult or student responsible enough). We had to do it because the little darlings were hiding up in the book corner & deliberatly ripping up the books. We're going for Quality Assurance & I had to explain this to our mentor - I thought she'd tell us off, but she was really understanding. (We're moving the room round over the holidays so they can't hide up there any more.) We'll be going back to books on the book shelf, but only about 10 at a time.

 

This was a long explanation of the background from which I'm going to say "Put the books out of reach on wet days & say 'you can have any book you want, but they need to stay indoors. Ask me for the/a book & you can have it, but it must go back on the shelf."

 

And you can get waterproof 'bath' books from any bookshop or toy shop; they just tend to be a little basic!