A person spends most of his time at work, and therefore there is a need to comply with certain requirements for the climate in the office.
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There are regulations that regulate the requirements for microclimate indicators in premises where people carry out work activities. It is especially important to observe them in the office, where people are busy with office work, and as a result of inactivity, deterioration in productivity can occur.
How are sanitary standards regulated?
Microclimatic indicators of working premises are characterized by:
- t° air;
- relative air humidity;
- air speed;
- t° surfaces;
- intensity of infrared radiation.
Each country has its own document regulating standard values for microclimate indicators in the working area. Let's consider the legislative framework of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
Ukraine
In our country, the regulatory document is DSN 3.3.6.042-99 “Sanitary standards for the microclimate of industrial premises.” According to it, in the working area of the premises of enterprises/organizations/institutions, regardless of the form of ownership, certain standards of indicators must be maintained.
According to DSN 3.3.6.042-99, the cold period of the year is considered to be the time when the average daily air temperature does not exceed +10°C. The warm period of the year is characterized by air temperatures above +10°C.
Category Ia , light physical work, includes those activities in which energy consumption is 105-140 W (90-120 kcal / h). They are performed while sitting and do not require much physical exertion. Category Ib includes work performed while sitting, standing or involving walking. They are accompanied by some physical stress. Ib implies a consumption of 141-175 W (121-150 kcal / h).
Moderate work is determined by categories IIa and IIb , respectively, 176-232 W (151-200 kcal/h) and 233-290 W (201-250 kcal/h). Category IIa includes those types of work that involve walking and moving small objects (up to 1 kg) or objects in a sitting position that require some physical exertion. IIb includes types of work performed while standing and associated with walking and moving objects up to 10 kg with moderate effort.
Under category III, heavy category , all types of activities are assumed where energy expenditure is 291-349 W (251-300 kcal/h). This category includes work performed while standing, associated with the constant movement of loads of more than 10 kg and requiring significant effort.
The optimal values of microclimate indicators in industrial workplaces look like this:
| Period of the year | Category of work by energy consumption level, W | Air temperature, °C | Relative humidity, % |
| Cold | Light Ia | 22 — 24 | 60 — 40 |
| Light Ib | 21 — 23 | 60 — 40 | |
| Moderate IIa | 19 — 21 | 60 — 40 | |
| Moderate IIb | 17 — 19 | 60 — 40 | |
| Heavy III | 16 — 18 | 60 — 40 | |
| Warm | Light Ia | 23 — 25 | 60 — 40 |
| Light Ib | 22 — 24 | 60 — 40 | |
| Moderate IIa | 21 — 23 | 60 — 40 | |
| Moderate IIb | 20 — 22 | 60 — 40 | |
| Heavy III | 18 — 20 | 60 — 40 |
Office employees belong to the category of workers with low energy consumption intensity. Thus, the air temperature in Ukrainian offices in winter should not be lower than 22°C, and the required indoor air humidity should be from 60 to 40%. Indicators should not go beyond the norm throughout the entire working day.
Russia
In the Russian Federation, the requirements for temperature and humidity in office premises are also strictly regulated. The norms and rules are described in SanPiN 2.2.4.3359-16 “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for physical factors in the workplace.” The optimal values of microclimate indicators, just as in Ukraine, depend on the category of work:
| Period of the year | Category of work by energy consumption level, W | Air temperature, °C | Relative humidity, % |
| Cold | Ia (up to 139) | 22 — 24 | 60 — 40 |
| Ib (140-174) | 21 — 23 | 60 — 40 | |
| IIa (175-232) | 19 — 21 | 60 — 40 | |
| IIb (233-290) | 17 — 19 | 60 — 40 | |
| III (over 290) | 16 — 18 | 60 — 40 | |
| Warm | Ia (up to 139) | 23 — 25 | 60 — 40 |
| Ib (140-174) | 22 — 24 | 60 — 40 | |
| IIa (175-232) | 20 — 22 | 60 — 40 | |
| IIb (233-290) | 19 — 21 | 60 — 40 | |
| III (over 290) | 18 — 20 | 60 — 40 |
In Russia, the optimal office temperature in winter should be 22-24°C. If the room is colder or hotter than permissible, then you can stay in it for no more than 7 hours. Accordingly, at an air temperature of 18°C - no more than 6 hours and so on. If employees have complaints about microclimatic conditions, parameters are measured in both cold and warm periods of the year, regardless of the outside temperature. In this case, measurements of parameters are carried out at the beginning, middle and end of the working day.
Belarus
In the Republic of Belarus, there are sanitary standards and rules “Requirements for the microclimate of workplaces in production and office premises.” The optimal values for microclimate indicators are identical to Russian standards, and the normal temperature for office work is 22-24 °C. Please note that when ensuring acceptable values of microclimate parameters at workplaces, the air temperature difference should not exceed 3 °C.
If working conditions require a deviation from the optimal values and permissible temperature standards in the workplace, workers, as in the Russian Federation, have legal grounds to reduce their working hours. For example, at a workplace temperature of about 13 °C, the permissible work duration for office employees is no more than an hour.
| Legal working hours | Temperature in the office |
| no more than 7 hours of work | 19 °C |
| no more than 6 hours of work | 18 °C |
| no more than 5 hours of work | 17 °C |
| no more than 4 hours of work | 16 °C |
| no more than 3 hours of work | 15 °C |
| no more than 2 hours of work | 14 °C |
| no more than 1 hour of work | 13 °C |
At what temperature can you demand shorter working hours or no work at all?
If the temperature in the workplace drops one degree below normal, the employee has the right to demand that his working time be reduced by an hour.
When the room temperature is +12 °C, employees belonging to category 1a have the right not to work, 1b - to work no more than an hour, 2a - no more than three hours, 2b - no more than five hours, employees of category 3 - no more than seven hours.
When the room temperature is +11°C and below, employees of categories 1a and 1b have the right not to work, employees of category 2a - to work no more than two hours, 2b - no more than four hours, category 3 - no more than six hours.
If the room is +9 °C, employees belonging to categories 1a, 1b and 2a can refuse to work. Workers in category 2b can work no more than two hours, category 3 - no more than four. At temperatures of +7 and +6, only people belonging to category 3 work: they can spend no more than two hours in the room.
If an employee who has the right not to work due to the company’s failure to comply with the temperature conditions specified in SanPiN does not go to work due to violation of temperature standards, the employer does not have the right to deprive him of wages or consider his actions to be absenteeism. As follows from Article 157 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, downtime due to the fault of the employer is paid in the amount of at least two-thirds of the employee’s average salary.
What does an employee have the right to do if the temperature is outside the normal range?
1. Ask to use additional equipment for heating/cooling. For example, an air conditioner or a heater.
2. Demand a reduction in working hours in accordance with the law.
3. File a complaint with the relevant authorities:
- Labor Protection Inspectorate – Ukraine.
- Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare (Rospotrebnadzor) – Russia.
- Department of State Labor Inspection - Belarus.
Temperature measurements and their features
Accuracy of temperature measurements must be maintained . This is due to the fact that each degree plays a special role in the duration of working hours.
If employees or the employer are unscrupulous, then there may be a temptation to underestimate or overestimate the true temperature readings. It is possible that an error will occur due to an incorrectly placed or faulty device with which you are taking measurements.
To avoid complications with determining air temperature indicators, SanPiN is required to place the device at a distance of 1 meter above the floor level.
What responsibility does the employer have if he does not comply with the requirements of the office microclimate?
If for some reason the employer refuses to install an air conditioner (fan) in the summer and a heater in the winter, thereby maintaining the optimal temperature regime, then his subordinates should not tolerate this because they may be fired. You can contact the sanitary and epidemiological service. She will definitely come to your enterprise to check. If during the inspection the complaint is confirmed, then the management cannot avoid responsibility for failure to comply with the requirements of SanPiN.
And also for non-compliance with the requirements, the employer faces a fine of approximately 12 thousand rubles. If, after a repeated inspection, the same violations are revealed again, then its activities will be suspended for 3 months in accordance with Article 6.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.
What responsibility does an employer bear for violation of labor protection?
According to the law, the employer undertakes to comply with the requirements of sanitary standards in relation to employees. This includes:
- organization of the production process;
- creation of jobs;
- compliance with the work and rest regime;
- creation of necessary working conditions.
A recorded violation of the temperature regime in the office by an employer may entail administrative liability, and in some cases, criminal liability.
In Ukraine, this process is regulated by Art. 6 and 13 of the Law on Labor Protection. For violating sanitary standards, citizens receive an administrative fine - from one to twelve minimum incomes, and officials - from six to twenty-five minimum incomes (tax-free). A temporary work ban or restriction on specific activities is possible at an enterprise.
According to Russian labor legislation, sanitary standards are regulated by Art. 212 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation and Art. 209 Labor Code of the Russian Federation. An enterprise may be subject to an administrative fine of 10,000 to 20,000 rubles or a ban on work for up to 90 days may be imposed in accordance with Art. 6.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
In Belarus, liability is established by Article 9.17 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. For non-compliance with labor legislation, an official may be fined in the amount of 10 to 50 basic units (minimum wage), a legal entity - up to 300 basic units.
SanPiN for the protection of human health
All standards are collected in a special code of the Russian Federation. This code defines optimal health and hygiene standards for various areas of human activity, including employment. These documents relate to the technical and medical fields. At the same time, it is also legislative, precisely for this reason it is necessary to comply with all these norms.
The abbreviation SanPiN stands for sanitary rules and regulations. The document that regulates optimal conditions in the workplace is called SanPiN 2.2.4.548-96 and reads as follows: hygienic requirements for the microclimate in production premises. These SanPiN provide labor protection regulations for office employees and production workers. These SanPiNs were adopted within the framework of Federal Law No. 52 of March 30, 1999 “On the sanitary and epidemiological welfare of the population.”
Compliance with the requirements of SanPiN by the employer is supported by articles of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation No. 209 and 212. They deal with liability in case of failure by the employer to comply with occupational safety and health rules, as well as timely implementation of rehabilitation, treatment and preventive, sanitary and other similar measures. Article No. 163 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation prescribes that the employer must carry out a set of measures in order to ensure an optimal working microclimate.
What to do if your employees complain about uncomfortable office temperatures?
First of all, measure the temperature and humidity in the room using a sensor. If it is outside the normal range, it is necessary to use additional equipment to heat/cool the room.
It often happens that the room temperature seems comfortable for work, but some employees still feel a decrease in performance. The task of the HR specialist in this case is not to arm himself with norms and rules, but to enter into the position of the employees, because each person has his own heat perception. For those who often get cold, you can move the desk closer to the radiator or heater. Such a gesture costs HR nothing, but will be highly appreciated by employees.
- Documentation
- Legislation
Optimum or comfort
Every person who works in an office wants to carry out their activities in conditions of maximum comfort . But this concept is highly subjective, as it is tied to the personal feelings of each individual. And these sensations, as you know, are different for everyone. What is an excellent option for one individual may simply not be acceptable for another. It is because of this that the concept of “comfortable conditions” is not used in regulations and office documentation.
Instead of the subjective term “comfort”, a more specific and precise parameter “optimal conditions” is used in professional vocabulary. As for the optimal air temperature, this value is determined through complex calculations and physiological studies. When calculating, the average human needs are taken into account.
Requirements for optimal temperature conditions relate to legislation. This is recorded in certain regulatory documents.
Noise level
Office lighting is an important component that employers should not forget about. Low light levels lead to rapid eye fatigue and also reduce a person’s overall performance.
SanPin sets lighting standards for an average office containing computers at five hundred lux. Acceptable indoor lighting values range from two hundred to three hundred lux.
Background noise affects the productivity of office workers. The upper limit of the norm for such noise should not exceed fifty-five dB. Old computers, lamps, and conversations on the street produce noise.
New office equipment, metal-plastic windows, and sound-proof partitions can cope with the problem of extraneous noise.
