# Freezing cold in office



## ragazza (19 Jul 2007)

Hi,

I'm just wondering if its reasonable to have to put up with freezing cold termperatures in the office?

We recently moved office to a different building. There are windows along both sides, so a lot of sun gets into the office, and consequently the facilities team have set the air conditioning very high, so that the people along the windows do not get too hot. 
I am in the middle of the office (i.e. nowhere near a window) and so I get the freezing cold air, but do not get the benefit of warmth from the windows.

The problem is the temperature at which the air-con is set, and also the strength of the air.
I can feel gusts of wind in my face and my hair is blowing in the breeze. I have a constant sore throat and ears from the air. I wear a fleece in the office, but am still freezing, with all the hair on my body standing on end, and hands like ice-blocks and shivers up and down my back. I can barely type my hands are so cold. I touched my co-worker and he jumped in the air, from the cold of my hands!

I asked Facilities to lower the air-con, but they say they cant, since it will affect the people by the windows.
What can I do? There is no chance anyone by a window will swap with me, since those seats are deemed more prestigious. 

I cant wear two fleeces in the office, and anyway would also need ear-muffs and a coat against the air.

What can I do? I've told this to my manager, and she has said she'll talk to Facilities again, but I doubt they'll be able to higher the temp enough to make it comfortable.
There are also 4 air-vents near my head, so I am particularly cold, whereas people near me are ok since they dont have the vents, so I cant even get a group of people to complain with me.

Can anyone give advice on what they would do in this situation?


Thanks,
Ragazza.


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## tiger (19 Jul 2007)

Have a look [broken link removed]  (pdf = 1.5MB).
Bottom of page 10


> *
> Room temperature.​7.​*​​(1) An employer shall ensure that—
> (a) during working hours, the temperature in rooms containing workstations is
> appropriate for human beings, having regard to the working methods being used and
> ...


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## cruchan09 (20 Jul 2007)

The legislation that Tiger directs you to does not come into force until Nov. 1st 2007, but the provisions are much the same as the equivalent section in the 1993 regulations. 

Do you have an EHS manager or an empoyee safety rep you can direct your concerns to?

Using air con to control temperature rise generated by solar gain is pretty poor practicse IMO. Window blinds or glass coatings on windows are very efficient at reducing solar gain. 

It would appear that your working conditions are being compromised to facilitate other employees, who I imagine are more senior if they have the prestigious desks. This is totally unacceptable. If your manager does not facilitate you in moving your desk then go to her manager. From the sound of it it is just one desk that needs moving, so that is not an unreasonable request. If you think that it might help take the temperature at your desk using a household themometer and show it to your manager. 

If it does not resolve itself you may need to get a doctors note indicating that you are suffering from the effects of working in a downdraft of cold air. If you continue to sit there long term you may develop more problems. Try to get it sorted before the end of the summer as come autumn it may be cooler and you may have less of a case for moving your desk in your managers eyes.


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## Mrs Mac (20 Jul 2007)

Any chance you are working in the new state of the art building in Spencer Dock?


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## shootingstar (20 Jul 2007)

i was going to ask is the OP working for Amgen. the girls were telling me the office temp is off the scale.


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## Mrs Mac (20 Jul 2007)

I'm talking about PwC...

Because it is v cold in here today.  Yesterday we were melting.  Seems they upped the air-con because it was too warm yesterday and now with the change in the weather we are all freezing.

Will they ever get it right?


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## ClubMan (20 Jul 2007)

Why can't they just adjust the _AC _today to raise it by a few degrees?


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## Danmo (20 Jul 2007)

I work in an old building and the heating was switched off during the heatwave in April. On cold days it's unbearable, particularly after the weekend.


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## ragazza (20 Jul 2007)

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback.

I forgot to mention that I work in Madrid, so I'm not in Spencer Dock!

It's a balmy 33 degrees outside, but I'm inside with a fleece on - I have to go outside every now and then to thaw out, so the extreme temp changes muct be bad for you too. 

The company is very old-fashioned, so I dont know if there is a HS officer. I can check with HR. But to be honest, their reaction will be more on the lines of amn't I lucky to have a job, and to stop complaining!

I wrote a long email to my manager explaining the problem and its affects on my health and work.
I'm going away scuba-diving this weekend, and if you have a cold you cant dive, so I'm afraid that the air-conditioning will also wreck my holiday plans.

Yes, I'll go to the doctor next week if I still feel like this, and request a doctor's note. Hopefully if I am absent from the office through no fault of my own, they'll be forced into action..

Thanks for the feedback anyway!
Ragazza.


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## Danmo (20 Jul 2007)

ragazza said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


At least that's something!! It hasn't stopped lashing rain here since 9am
Have a good weekend!


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## Cahir (20 Jul 2007)

Danmo said:


> At least that's something!! It hasn't stopped lashing rain here since 9am
> Have a good weekend!



9am about 2 months ago!!!


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## PM1234 (20 Jul 2007)

In our building, Facilities can adjust the aircon over the desks (usually one adjustment covers the area of three/four desks). It takes about two minutes for them to do it and a couple of hours for the temperature to regulate.  The usual problem follows ie as soon as one person is comfortable their neighbour is too hot/cold   Definitely follow it through with your manager. Good luck!


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## RainyDay (20 Jul 2007)

ragazza said:


> I forgot to mention that I work in Madrid, so I'm not in Spencer Dock!


Obviously, the legislation quoted above does not apply in Spain. You'll need to check out if there is equivalent legislation locally.


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## aircobra19 (20 Jul 2007)

I had the opposite problem in our office it was too hot. Brought in my own temperature monitor and kept a record of the temps. We were hitting 28~30 degrees. Eventually they got some better AC in. 

Could you switch to somewhere not at the windows, but that is warmer than where you are now? Seems like you are probably sitting in the main flow of air. Theres probably deadspots in the office, not at the windows where the AC doesn't reach.


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## mobileme (21 Jul 2007)

tiger said:


> Have a look [broken link removed] (pdf = 1.5MB).
> Bottom of page 10


 
Hi tiger,

Thanks for that HSA file! We have an issue in the office where one of the two fire exits in the building is often locked because the keyholder doesn't start till later in the day. I have raised this issue 3 times and been largely ignored. I will forward this file on Monday and hopefully get a more positive reaction.


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## RainyDay (21 Jul 2007)

mobileme said:


> Thanks for that HSA file! We have an issue in the office where one of the two fire exits in the building is often locked because the keyholder doesn't start till later in the day. I have raised this issue 3 times and been largely ignored. I will forward this file on Monday and hopefully get a more positive reaction.


I would contact a Fire Engineer at your local authority or an officer at your local Fire Service HQ without further delay. This needs immediate resolution.


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## lemon125 (25 Jul 2007)

We are opposite. 
We work in temperature about 30 degrees, with no AC, with windows that only ope a tiny bit, with no fresh air coming in.... we have asked and asked and asked... never got anything... Is there anythign we can do here?


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## RainyDay (25 Jul 2007)

lemon125 said:


> We are opposite.
> We work in temperature about 30 degrees, with no AC, with windows that only ope a tiny bit, with no fresh air coming in.... we have asked and asked and asked... never got anything... Is there anythign we can do here?



Call the HSA.


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## ClubMan (25 Jul 2007)

Or wear your _Speedos _and factor 50 into work and see what happens.


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## lemon125 (26 Jul 2007)

It'd be very very frosty around here is i rang the HSA!! 

Dont think i'd go down that route...


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## cruchan09 (26 Jul 2007)

If you ring the HSA they most likely will write to your employers rather than visiting your office and ask them to write back confirming that they have rectified the situation. I have come across instances were the HSA have been rang due to a person being observed falling of a scaffold on an unsafe building site and their resposnse was to state that they would write to the main contractor on site about the incident. However as there was no main contractor named on the site signange and the complainant did not know who they were she was told by the HSA that there really was nothing they could do......

If your working enviorment is too hot then your employer needs to take steps to rectify this. They will not be expected to provide aircon (if in Ireland) as the climate is such that in a normal office enviroment it should not be required given our climate and relatively few very hot days per year. They will however be required to provide fans and / or other cooling devices e.g. window blinds, etc in order to make the workplace cooler. Improved ventilation would also be required unless it could be shown that it was too difficult to achieve (not 'practicable') or would not help the situation.

You should ask to see a copy of the company safety statement and check if office working is risk assessed. If you have no company safety statement then that's a non compliance with statutory requirements and then you may have a better case to ring the HSA.


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