People across the UK have been warned that snow and ice will continue to wreak havoc in parts of the UK after freezing temperatures left thousands without power.
The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice in northern Scotland and northeast England until 12:00 Friday.
People have been warned of further travel chaos due to frost after thousands of residents were left without electricity and temperatures reached -17.3.°C were included.
Dozens of schools were forced to close on Tuesday for the second day in a row due to winter conditions.
Councils from Aberdeenshire to Cambridgeshire have reported school closures due to power outages, pipe bursts and snow and ice forcing students to stay at home.
The freezing weather and dangerous travel conditions have left many wondering how safe and legal it is to work.
What temperature is too cold to work?
Unfortunately, neither England nor Scotland has a strict legal minimum or maximum on how cold temperatures can be before you can return home from work.
According to the Health and Safety Administration (HSE): “The approved code of practice suggests that the minimum temperature in the workplace should generally be at least 16ºC.
“If the work is associated with physical exertion, the temperature should not be lower than 13 ° C.
“These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements; the employer must determine what is appropriate in the circumstances.
Legal obligations of the employer
Although minimum operating temperatures are not set in stone and it is the employer’s responsibility to decide on a suitable temperature, your employer still has a legal obligation to eliminate potential hazards.
The Occupational Health and Safety Management Regulations 1999 “requires employers to conduct a proper risk assessment to the health and safety of their employees and take action where necessary and reasonably possible.
“Temperature in the workplace is one of the potential hazards that employers must contend with in order to meet their legal obligations.”
Hannah Parsons of DAS Law explains: “When a large number of employees bring temperature issues to the attention of their employers, they need to evaluate whether the current approach to keeping the workplace warm is in line with their ‘duties of care’. ”
Source: I News
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