Freezing cold in office

R

ragazza

Registered User
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267
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.
 
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
the physical demands placed on the employees,
(b) for sedentary office work, a minimum temperature of 17.5°C, so far as is reasonably
practicable, is achieved and maintained at every workstation after the first hour’s​

work,
Click to expand...
 
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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i was going to ask is the OP working for Amgen. the girls were telling me the office temp is off the scale.
 
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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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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
tiger said:
Have a look [broken link removed] (pdf = 1.5MB).
Bottom of page 10
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
Click to expand...
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.
 
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?
 
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?
Click to expand...

Call the HSA.
 
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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