What is the Legal Position on Maximum Office Temperatures?

With record-breaking heatwaves across Europe, in the event the rising temperatures reach closer to home in the last weeks of summer, it is important for employers to be mindful of what the law states in relation to the office temperatures. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993, under Regulation 7, states that the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings needs to be ‘reasonable’. However, whilst there is guidance in regard to minimum temperatures, there is no statement on a maximum temperature.

The minimum temperature should be 16 degrees Celsius unless the work involved requires physical effort; in this case, the temperature should be at least