Temperature norms in the workplace. Sanitary rules and regulations

According to the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the employer must ensure to his subordinates not only security, but also such conditions under which labor protection standards are observed. In particular, the temperature standards in the workplace, adopted at the state level. Articles of the Labor Code 209 and 212 regulate the requirements for an activity that creates appropriate sanitary and hygienic conditions.

What does the law say?

One should especially highlight the sanitary norms, which relate to the humidity and temperature of industrial and office premises. All necessary figures are contained in SanPiN 2.2.4.548962. This is the main document, according to which normal working conditions should be provided, in particular - the humidity regime, temperature standards in the room and other important factors.

Elevated degrees of ambient air can be considered one of the most powerful factors that inhibit efficiency. The mentioned sanitary norms determined that the temperature in the room during the summer period should not be above 25 ° С. Relative humidity does not have the right to fall below the 40% mark. It is at such values that the necessary thermal comfort can be provided throughout the whole working day or shift.

Compliance with these conditions does not lead to deviations in the well-being of the working people and creates the necessary conditions for normal work. Ensuring an optimal microclimate in the production premises necessarily requires the employer to equip the workshop or office with heating, as well as ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The law does not violate!

The absence or malfunction of any of the above systems leads to an unacceptable temperature rise and poses a threat to the health of the workers. This in itself is a violation of the law.

In this case, employees are divided into categories. For example, the employees of the offices of sanitary standards are classified in category A. If the temperature in the workplace exceeds certain figures, they have the right to reduce the working time by the timeframe, which will be written below.

The required microclimate indicators are given in the section of the seventh SanPiN. The temperature at the workplace, which does not comply with the standards, can cause a legitimate reduction of the working day. From the employer, this requires the organization of a commission whose task is to measure it in a room.

And then what?

The results of such a survey are documented in a protocol. It gives the obtained data and compares it with the normative. Shortening of the working day occurs on the basis of the order according to the requirements specified in SanPiN. The document should contain a reference to the protocol with temperature measurement data.

This is done to protect employees from possible damage to health due to cooling or overheating. It should be borne in mind that, from a legal point of view, it is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of time spent at one's work place and the duration of a shift or a work day.

As the said SanPiN states, the temperature at the workplace should be such that the finding of people in production conditions is brought into line with hygiene requirements. In doing so, they rely on Article 212 of the LC RF.

What can I do?

As a means of solving such a problem, additional breaks, earlier departure of employees to their homes, transferring them to other jobs, equipping special recreational facilities should be considered.

If the employer refuses to comply with these requirements, it can be accused simultaneously of two offenses. This is, firstly, the violation of sanitary rules (temperature standards in production do not comply with the normative indicators). Secondly, labor legislation is directly ignored , as people's work occurs in conditions that are not suitable for this.

If the employer does not act in this situation and refuses to give it to other employees, the time spent in unfavorable conditions is equal in duration to the daily working day (change). That is, you can talk about overtime hours for employees on the initiative of the employer with all the legal and financial consequences.

How to take care of yourself

What can ordinary employees do to normalize the situation in the sphere of ensuring their own rights to safe and comfortable working conditions? In the case when the temperature standards in the workplace are not respected, they are recommended to file complaints simultaneously with the bodies of Rospotrebnadzor and the labor inspectorate. The Administrative Code of the Russian Federation in such cases provides for legal entities a fine, the size of which is of the same order as the costs required for equipping the workplaces with fans and air conditioners.

As you know, our people are used to working in any conditions. Sometimes it is amazing to what extent the norms of the temperature regime in the workplace can be violated. People have to work, clenching their teeth from the cold or literally choking because of the unbearable heat. This also applies to workers in the mental front who spend their days in a "civilized" office. The labor process in such unsuitable conditions has become so common that people do not even think about the violation of their legal rights.

Temperature Standards in the Workplace

Of course, both jobs and activities can vary greatly. The employee of the bank is in the same conditions, the loader or the crane operator is completely different. On this score, the standards for each profession have been developed.

Any type of work belongs to one of the available categories, for which the necessary microclimatic conditions and the permissible temperature range are prescribed. Unfortunately, to consider all of them in one article is unrealistic. Therefore, let us dwell on the working conditions of office workers.

What should we know?

Perhaps for someone this information will sound for the first time. Do you know that if you are forced to work at a temperature that does not meet the established standards, then you have every right to reduce your working time?

Probably, many, after reading these lines, only grin. Anyone in our country knows what it is like to strive for legality and justice, including in the workplace. But nevertheless, possession of this information will allow, in necessary cases, to "swing the rights", seeking an opportunity to take early leave home, or even to ask the employer about the overtime payment, if it is not possible to force it to comply with the temperature norms in the workplace in the office.

In any organization, there will always be an active "backbone" of workers who will seek justice by writing complaints and all sorts of pressure on the leadership. We hope that this information will help them in this matter.

We are armed with a thermometer

So, we measure the temperature at our workplace. It should not be more than 23-25 ° C. It's about working in the summer. If the window is winter, these figures are from 22 to 24 °. In this case, the thermometer readings should be linked to the humidity of air, the permissible values of which are from 40 to 60%.

Of course, the temperature can deviate from the required one by a certain permissible value, which is 1 or 2 degrees, but no more. During the entire working day, the temperature change should not be more than 4 degrees.

If these conditions are met, you must work in the office for a total of 8 hours. If the temperature reached 29 ° C per day (that is, it exceeded the maximum allowable by 4 ° C), your requirement to allow you to leave your job earlier for exactly one hour is completely legal.

With a 30-degree heat, you have the right to work no more than 6 hours. If the thermometer is off scale at 32.5 ° C, theoretically you have the right to work for no more than an hour.

If the street frost

A similar situation is with work on cold winter days. If the thermometer is only 19 degrees Celsius, the length of the workday is 7 hours, at 18 degrees - 6. In this case, the exact temperature measurement is made at an altitude of about 1 meter from the floor.

The question is whether such scrupulous measurements, along with the requirements for the employer, about the exact observance of norms and rules will bring practical benefit? The fact is that the latter, most likely, it will be more profitable to spend one time on installing an air conditioner or a heater instead of regularly paying fines for violation with the accompanying hassle.

Therefore, if you value your own health, do not be afraid of your superiors. Your goal is to ensure that the temperature standards in the workplace are respected. If you own the information contained in the legislative documents designed to protect the average worker, and to show proper perseverance, it is quite realistic to achieve justice.