Maximum air temperature in the workplace. Amount of punishment and its types

A person spends the majority of the day at work over a long period of his life, so the requirements regulating the hygienic indicators of the microclimate of the premises where people work are natural. It is especially important to observe them in the office, where workers are mainly engaged in mental work, which is characterized by relative physical inactivity, which means negative consequences improper regime are further aggravated.

We will study the legal requirements for temperature conditions in office premises, as well as the employer’s responsibility for violating them.

The importance of office climate

Temperature conditions greatly influence the well-being and performance of people. Increased or decreased air temperature, which affects an employee for a long time, does not just have a negative impact on health, but also sharply reduces labor productivity. Office employees perform a wide variety of activities, most of which involve spending a long time in the same position, usually sitting and sedentary:

work at a computer;
draw up paperwork;
communicate with clients;
make decisions, etc.

Mental work and physical inactivity do not go well with an uncomfortable room temperature. Researchers have experimentally found that deviations even within one degree have such a strong impact on the efficiency of office work that it makes sense to even shorten the working day if it is impossible to provide the proper microclimate.

IMPORTANT! Ensuring proper temperature conditions in the office is a legal obligation of the employer, regardless of the form of ownership and level of subordination of the organization.

Comfort or optimum

Any employee working in an office wants his work to be carried out in comfortable conditions. But the concept of comfort is too subjective, because it is tied to everyone’s individual feelings specific person, and they are different for everyone. What is acceptable to one may be unpleasant to another. It is for this reason that the concept of “comfortable conditions” is not used in official documentation and regulations.

Instead of the subjective term “comfort” in professional vocabulary, a more precise and defined parameter “optimal conditions” is used. Concerning optimal temperature air, then this is a value determined through complex physiological studies and calculations, taking into account average human needs.

NOTE! Requirements for optimal temperature conditions are within the scope of legislation, which is recorded in the relevant regulatory documents.

SanPiN protects the health of employees

Sanitary standards Russian Federation collected in a special code that defines optimal hygiene and health standards for different areas human life, including employment. This is documentation related to the medical and technical fields, and at the same time legislative, and therefore mandatory.

The abbreviation “SanPiN” stands for Sanitary Rules and Norms,” it is somewhat consonant with SNIPs - building codes and regulations, but they should not be confused, these are documents from different working areas.

REFERENCE! The document regulating optimal conditions in the workplace is called SanPiN 2.2.4.548-96 " Hygienic requirements to the microclimate of industrial premises." It provides labor protection regulations for office employees (in the text of the law they are classified as category A for labor costs) and production workers. These rules and regulations were adopted within the framework of Federal Law No. 52 “On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population” of March 30, 1999.

The obligation for employers to comply with SanPiN requirements is supported by Art. 209 and art. 212 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, which speaks of responsibility in the strict observance by employers of labor protection rules and timely measures of sanitary, household, hygienic, treatment and prophylactic, rehabilitation and other nature. Art. 163 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation prescribes a set of measures for employers to ensure an optimal working microclimate.

Seasonal requirements for office temperature

In cold and warm seasons, ensuring optimal temperature is achieved in different ways. Accordingly, the requirements for the microclimate will differ, as well as the measures provided for by SanPiN in the event of the impossibility of ensuring the temperature regime or its serious violations.

So that it doesn't get too hot

Prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures is particularly detrimental to the performance and health of workers. In a closed work area, it can be aggravated by large crowds of people, the presence of working office equipment, as well as compliance with a special dress code.

In this regard, the optimal temperature values and the permissible maximum during the hot period of the year are legally established. For office workers they are 23-25°C with a relative humidity of 40-60%. Temperature increases up to 28°C are allowed.

Exceeding summer temperatures in the office

If the thermometer inside the office deviates from the optimum by more than 2°C, it becomes much more difficult to work. The employer will have to supply air conditioning for employees and ensure its normal operation and timely maintenance.

If for some reason this is not done, the employee should not meekly endure the sweltering heat, while also trying to meet professional requirements. Sanitary standards allow workers to rightfully shorten the standard eight-hour working day, for which the temperature requirements are designed:

29°C allows you to work 6 hours instead of 8;
30°C allows for a two-hour contraction;
each subsequent degree exceeding the norm reduces the working time requirements by another 1 hour;
if the thermometer reaches 32.5°C, you don’t have to stay at work for more than 1 hour.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION! Many employees note the negative impact of air conditioning, comparable in harm to heat and stuffiness. The same requirements of SanPiN, along with temperature and humidity, limit the speed of air movement in the room, which should not go beyond the range of 0.1-0.3 m/s. It follows that the employee should not be under the blowing air conditioner.

Cold is the enemy of work

In a room that is too cold, no work is possible, especially office work, when the body cannot warm itself with movement. If for some categories of production workers a drop in ambient temperature to 15°C is acceptable, and even then short-term, for white-collar workers this is unacceptable.

During the cold period of the year, a comfortable temperature value should be maintained indoors - 22-24°C. Fluctuations in the norm of up to 1-2°C are acceptable, and for a short time during the working day the thermometer column can “jump” by 3-4°C.

What to do if it's cold in the office

Personnel must spend the full 8 hours at work unless the temperature drops below 20°C. Each subsequent step towards cold legitimately reduces the length of stay in an insufficiently heated room:

19°C makes it possible to work a seven-hour day;
18°C – 6 hours of work, and then in descending order;
13°C allows you to stay in the office for no more than an hour.

Features of temperature measurements

Since the duration of operation depends on the temperature component, fluctuations of just 1 ° C have such a strong impact on the efficiency of operation, it is necessary to maintain the accuracy of measurements.

If employers or employees are dishonest, there may be a temptation to overestimate or underestimate the true values of temperature indicators. Errors are also possible with inaccurate instruments and their incorrect placement.

To avoid complications with determining air temperature, legislation requires placing the thermometer at a distance of exactly 1 meter from the floor.

Employer's liability for failure to comply with office microclimate requirements

If management does not want to fulfill its responsibilities to provide staff with optimal working conditions, for example, does not install the necessary air conditioning in hot weather or a heater in the cold season, employees should not tolerate their arbitrariness for fear of dismissal. After contacting the sanitary and epidemiological service, the organization will be subject to an inspection, and if the claims are confirmed, administrative liability cannot be avoided.

In addition to the inevitable requirements to eliminate violations, a negligent employer will be issued a serious fine in the amount of 10-12 thousand rubles. And if he does not correct himself in time, then his activities may be stopped for 3 months (Article 6.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation).

Labor productivity in the workplace directly depends on conditions, primarily air temperature and humidity, quality of lighting, amount of oxygen and other factors. Very important temperature regime, if not observed, employees experience discomfort and work less productively. The permissible indoor temperature at a workplace where people spend 8-9 hours a day must be observed by the manager or the employee responsible for ensuring proper working conditions. Temperature indicators are regulated by SanPiN in the Law “On the Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare of the Population”, and all enterprises and organizations, regardless of their form of ownership, must comply with it.

What should be the temperature in work areas in winter and summer?

The temperature in the room where employees work varies depending on the time of year and the presence/absence of a heating season in the region. Specifications premises, the presence/absence of climate control equipment do not affect the need to comply with sanitary standards; everyone is required to comply with the temperature regime established by law. Just like the temperature in an apartment, the required thermometer readings in an office space can be regulated using central heating with radiators, as well as mobile air heaters, infrared and oil electric heaters, and air conditioners for domestic and semi-industrial purposes.

The management of the enterprise cannot justify violation of the temperature regime in the office by the fact that the costs of heating and air conditioning are very high. Moreover, it is unacceptable to install devices and equipment in offices that lead to significant deviations from established standards (for example, even a running powerful computer can increase the temperature in the room by 0.5 degrees). Malfunctions of climate control equipment (heaters, air conditioners) that ensure compliance with the regime must be eliminated on the day they occur, otherwise the employer is obliged to change the work schedule in accordance with SanPiN.

The permissible indoor temperature standards at the workplace for the warm and cold seasons are as follows:

summer - 23-25°C;
winter - 22-24°C.

Relative air humidity should not exceed 60%. Temperature standards may deviate slightly from the established ones within 1-2 degrees Celsius. The possible range of fluctuations during the working day is 3-4 degrees (for example, if it is necessary to ventilate the room in winter).

For comparison, the temperature in the apartment, according to SanPiN, in the cold season is allowed within 18-26 ° C, and for maintaining comfortable conditions V apartment buildings The responsibility lies with the coolant supplier and the management company that controls the functioning of central heating systems. But in summer everything is different: manufacturing facility and an office space is not an apartment; owners or tenants themselves take care of maintaining comfort there during the warm season. Residents of apartment buildings do not have the right to demand that management companies install air conditioners, because it is not their responsibility. But the central office or remote site has the right to demand that the manager comply with the established temperature regime and, for this purpose, equip the premises with climate control equipment.

What to do if the temperature conditions in the office do not match?

If for some reason the air temperature in office premises does not correspond to the standards established by law, then the employer, if it is impossible to correct the situation within a few hours, must take the following measures:

shortening the working day in accordance with the thermometer readings;
transfer of employees to another office/room with more comfortable conditions;
release from work or transfer to remote (home) mode.

A reduction in the working day in winter by one hour is indicated when the temperature drops to 19°C, i.e. When temperatures are below 20°C, employees have the right to go home earlier. Further, the reduction in the duration of the working day occurs in the proportion of 1 degree - 1 hour: at 18°C - up to 6 hours, at 17°C - up to 5 hours, and so on. If the air temperature in the office drops to 13°C, then working in such conditions is very difficult and going to work will be impractical. Therefore, it is better for management to let employees go or take measures to ensure comfort for work.

Similar to a decrease in thermometer readings, increased air temperature in the office in the summer also implies a reduction in the working day in a similar ratio. If the thermometer shows a temperature above 29°C, then the principle of shortening the working day is appropriate: at 30°C - by 2 hours, 31°C - by 3 hours, and so on. After the thermometer reaches 33°C, it makes no sense to go to work, because... Because of the heat, working in such conditions is almost impossible and even dangerous for humans. Employee productivity can be extremely low.

Threats, blackmail or pressure from an employer when he forces subordinates to work in inappropriate conditions is unacceptable. But in practice, a situation often occurs when a manager forces people to go to work and endure cold or heat. The temperature standards established by SanPiN are extremely important, so you need to know at what temperature employees are allowed to leave work.

Protecting the interests of employees

When the room is very cold, the human body reacts to these conditions in different ways: it gets rid of excess fluid (forcing to go to the toilet frequently), causing the body to shiver (an instinctive reaction to keep warm). For knowledge workers who spend many hours in a sitting position, low temperatures very harmful, because can cause hypothermia, decreased immunity and colds. And just sitting in outerwear at your desk is very uncomfortable; it distracts you from solving current problems.

High temperatures combined with stuffy indoor air can cause fainting, dizziness and even heatstroke. Mental activity also decreases during the heat, which is important for managers to remember.

To document non-compliance with SanPiN requirements, you can draw up a report of measuring the temperature in the room. The document should describe the temperature measurement conditions in as much detail as possible and add a time slice (for example, morning, afternoon, evening, hourly). Along with the recorded thermometer readings, the form must contain the signatures of employees working in this room. If this is a separate office, then the temperature must be measured and recorded in the presence of another authorized person (the head of the personnel management department, the security service, the manager of the economic part of the enterprise). The form of the document is arbitrary, but it is more convenient to format the thermometer readings in the form of a table. A sample act can be downloaded for free on our website.

Payment for public utilities is growing every year, especially in times of economic crisis. Unfortunately, nothing similar can be said about their quality. When citizens give a significant part of their hard-earned money to ensure comfortable living conditions, public utilities tend to show dishonesty on all fronts of their work.

Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique.

If you want to know how to solve exactly your problem - contact the online consultant form on the right or call free consultation:

If, during self-measurement, you determine that the temperature norm is lowered, you should inform the Emergency Dispatch Service about this. If the disruption of heat supply is not caused by natural factors (for example, an accident on a heating main), the dispatcher calls an emergency team to the house, drawing up an official measurement report.

The measurement must be carried out by a registered device that has all the necessary technical documents. The act contains the following information:

date of its preparation,
characteristics of the apartment,
composition of the commission,
device data,
temperature values,
signatures of all commission members.

The act is drawn up in two copies, one of which remains with the owner of the apartment, and the other with the housing and communal services employees carrying out the measurements.

Air exchange rate

Air temperature is not the only parameter that directly affects the comfort and safety of people living in the house. Air exchange is important for the body: the presence fresh air, ventilation of residential and non-residential premises.

This parameter is also regulated by SanPiN regulations. Thus, the required air exchange rate for a living space with an area of 18 m² is 3 m³/h per person. square meter, for the kitchen - three times more.

Air exchange rate is a characteristic determined by the ratio of air removed or supplied from a room per hour to the volume of this room.

How to measure the coolant?

The coolant in the central heating system is hot water , flowing from the tap.

You can measure its temperature different ways, but the simplest one is measuring tap water temperature with a thermometer, poured into a glass.

It is also possible to measure pipe temperature. The value of this parameter should be 50-70°C.

Responsibility of utilities for violation of temperature standards

If the indoor temperature in winter is below normal, what should you do?

By law, citizens have the right to demand reducing heat charges by 0.15% for each hour that utilities fail to comply with your temperature standards. After carrying out simple calculations, you can establish that after 4 weeks of providing low-quality home heating services, the payment for it is reduced by more than 90%. Of course, utility companies will not voluntarily agree to such a recalculation, and therefore we must go to court.

Application for recalculation of heating fees in Management company can be downloaded.

History knows examples when citizens managed to defend their rights. So, in 2014, a resident Perm region recovered 136 thousand rubles from utility services for failure of utility services to comply with their obligations to provide her home with heat.

Temperature standards in the apartment. Watch the video:

In order to organize a normal working environment for his employees, to ensure their efficiency and functional condition, the manager must ensure that the standard temperature in the office is observed. If it deviates from the norm by even one degree, and no matter in which direction, labor productivity may decrease, as if your employees had not worked for an hour.

In fact, this means that the office space should have air conditioning in the summer, and should be properly heated in the winter.

Temperature standards in the office

Eat normative document – the federal law No. 52-FZ. According to this document, office workers have the right to ensure a healthy environment in their workplace. The head of the enterprise must take measures to ensure that the working temperature in the office premises for employees is maintained within strictly defined limits. She must be:

In summer – 23-25 ºС.
In winter – 22-24 ºС.
The permissible deviation from the norm is 1-2 ºС.
Possible fluctuations during the day are 3-4 ºС.

There are also requirements for air humidity in the office - it cannot be less than 40% and more than 60. And if you have to sit under an air conditioner, you have a legal right to demand improved working conditions, because according to sanitary standards, the wind speed should be within 0.1-0.3 m/sec.

Implementation of sanitary rules and regulations

Along with temperature and other standards, it is established that if the air temperature in the workplace deviates from acceptable values, the manager is obliged to limit the time employees spend in the office.

Only if it is no more than 28 ºС or no less than 20 ºС can an eight-hour working day be maintained. Any excess or deficiency should shorten the working day by an hour. By the way, the temperature should be measured at a height of at least a meter from the floor.

Any excess or deficiency should shorten the working day by an hour.

Employer's liability

The manager of the enterprise has the responsibility to ensure. According to the conditions dictated by Art. 163 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, he can demand fulfillment of the hourly production norm only when he has created decent working conditions in a rented office. At the slightest deviation from the temperature regime, the manager must immediately take measures to eliminate this violation. Helps protect workers' rights

From January 1, 2017, all employers and employees are required to comply with the new Sanitary and Epidemiological requirements for physical factors in the workplace, SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16 (approved by Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated June 21, 2016 No. 81). They replaced SanPiN 2.2.4.1191-03, SanPiN 2.1.8/2.2.4.2490-09, Appendix 3 to SanPiN 2.2.2/2.4.1340-03. The updated sanitary and epidemiological rules and regulations (SanPiNakh) define standards for the impact of such physical factors as:

microclimate;
vibration;
electric, magnetic, electromagnetic fields;
lighting in workplaces, etc.

Standards are the maximum permissible levels of factors. Their exposure, within the established limits, to an employee working 8 hours a day (no more than 40 hours a week) should not lead to illnesses or deviations in his state of health (clause 1.4 of SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16).

As stated above, due to the introduction of new rules, some of the previously approved SanPiNs have ceased to be valid since 2017. For example, SanPiN 2.2.4.1191-03 “ Electromagnetic fields in production conditions" (clause 2 of the Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated June 21, 2016 N 81). At the same time, for example, SanPiN 2.2.4.548-96 continues to be in force in the part that does not contradict SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16 (Letter of Rospotrebnadzor dated February 10, 2017 No. 09-2438-17-16). Most actual question for both employers and employees - what should be the temperature in the room (workplace) according to SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16.

Indoor temperature at the workplace: norms

SanPiN establishes optimal temperature values in the workplace as microclimate indicators. These include (clause 2.2.1 SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16):

air temperature;
surface temperature;
relative humidity air;
air speed;
intensity of thermal radiation.

Standard values for these indicators are determined separately for the warm and cold seasons. The time is considered cold when average daily temperature outside air is +10 °C and below. If the temperature outside the window is higher, then this is the warm season (clause 2.1.5 of SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16). That is, the temperature regime at the workplace according to Sanitary Regulations in summer and winter may differ, but not much. After all, at any time of the year, a person needs heat balance with environment(clause 2.1.1 SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16).

What are the temperature standards in office premises? Different temperature conditions are provided for workers engaged in different types work - depending on the energy consumption of employees. So, for example, workers clothing production, like most office workers, are among those who spend the least energy during the working day - up to 139 W. They perform work of category Ia (Appendix 1 to SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16). The following optimal climate indicators have been established for them (clause 2.2.5 of SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16):

Working hours in hot weather according to the Labor Code

We indicated above what the normal room temperature is. Is this the answer to the question at what temperature can you work in a room? Yes, but with certain reservations. Of course, the temperature for the workroom is Labor Code not specified. However, it is noted that the employer is obliged to ensure safety and working conditions that comply with state regulatory requirements for labor protection (Part 2 of Article 22 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). And the standards established by SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16 are one of the mandatory rules.

for individual entrepreneurs in the amount of 2 to 5 thousand rubles;
for organization - from 50 to 80 thousand rubles.

A violation sanitary rules and hygienic standards entails a fine (Article 6.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation):

for individual entrepreneurs in the amount of 500 to 1000 rubles;
for an organization - from 10 to 20 thousand rubles.

Or suspension of the activities of an individual entrepreneur or legal entity for up to 90 days.