As of: January 19, 2024, 4:24 p.m
By: Marco Blanco Ucles
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The bitter cold has Germany firmly under control.
People are freezing – sometimes even in the office.
Here you can find out what your employer must do about it.
Winter is hitting hard these days, temperatures are plummeting.
But not only outside, some people also have to freeze at work.
The reason for this is partly the continued high energy costs; employers in many places want to save money.
That’s their right – up to a certain point.
Depending on the load and activity, it is precisely regulated how many degrees Celsius there must be in the workplace.
Workplace stress is divided into three categories
As
IG Metall
reports, the temperature requirements in work rooms are generally regulated in the workplace regulations of the
Federal Ministry of Justice
.
These were supplemented by technical rules for workplaces.
These rules stipulate that physical stress during work should be divided into three categories – light, medium and heavy.
If you sit in the office and do not have to do any physical work, the air temperature in the work area must be at least 20 degrees Celsius.
It can be a degree colder if you do this light activity while standing or walking.
The minimum temperature requirements are only slightly lower for moderately difficult activities: when sitting, they are 19 degrees and when standing, they are 17 degrees.
Cold temperatures at work can quickly become a real burden for employees.
© Panthermedia/IMAGO
However, it can be significantly colder during heavy physical work - twelve degrees Celsius.
Regardless of the severity of the stress, the temperature in sanitary and break rooms must always be at least 21 degrees Celsius.
The works council is always responsible for checking the minimum temperature requirements.
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The legal situation is of course different when working outdoors or in technically cooled environments such as a cold room.
Here the employer is obliged to provide cold protection clothing and rooms for warming up.
If temperatures fall further than minus five degrees Celsius, employers must also enable their employees to heat and dry their cold-protective clothing.
Employees who work in temperatures below minus 25 degrees Celsius must be regularly sent for medical check-ups by their employer.
As soon as the temperature in an area falls below the minimum requirement, the employer is obliged to take action.
In addition to providing additional radiators, it can also help by providing additional warm-up times for employees or providing suitable clothing.
The works council can have a say in whether the measures are sufficient.
If the employer fails to take countermeasures, employees can stop work
If nothing is done after the works council's request, employees can take action and stop working.
However, it must first be proven that the existing temperature poses a health risk.
If this does not work, it is strongly advised not to stop working - otherwise a warning or even termination, in which employees do not always have the right to severance pay, could result.
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