The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration doesn’t require employers to maintain specific temperatures in the workplace. The agency recognizes that a 75-degree Fahrenheit office might be comfortable for one employee, but intolerable for another. To protect employees from having to work in uncomfortable temperatures, OSHA recommends that employers keep the thermostat between 68 and 78 degrees. OSHA regulations do kick in, however, when temperatures are so severe that they could lead to heat stress, hypothermia or other dangerous conditions. People who take medication are at greater risk for temperature-related health problems.
Extreme Temperature Measurements
To determine whether temperatures are extreme, OSHA uses heat stress monitors to measure a work site’s temperature and humidity levels, its air circulation and the amount of heat radiating from a furnace, blower or other heat source. How hot is too hot is determined by the effect these factors have on a worker's ability to maintain safe body temperatures. A body temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher signals trouble; it might mean that the employee can’t perform her job adequately. If, for example, OSHA discovered that a bakery’s oven radiated enough heat to make a worker perspire profusely, it would require the employer to install a fan.
Heat Stress Disorders
The 1989 American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has defined heat stress as “the total net heat load on the body,” or, in simpler terms, the amount of heat the body is exposed to from an oven, furnace or other external source, or from the body’s own heat-producing metabolism. OSHA recognizes six heat stress disorders: heat stroke, a potentially fatal condition in which the body’s temperature-regulating system fails; heat exhaustion, which causes headaches, nausea and vertigo; heat cramps, caused by the loss of salt from perspiring; heat collapse or fainting, which occurs when the brain’s oxygen supply is cut off; heat rash, caused by perspiration that doesn’t evaporate; and heat fatigue, which results in impaired mental and motor sensory skills.
Cold Stress Disorders
Exposure to freezing temperatures for long periods of time causes serious health conditions, like trench foot, which is the result of prolonged immersion in cold water or exposure to dampness, frostbite and hypothermia. In the severest of cases, overexposure to cold temperatures, such as cold water immersion, can be fatal. Symptoms include slurred speech, uncontrolled shivering, confusion and clumsiness.
OSHA recommends steps employers can take to protect workers. When heat is a problem, employers should keep work areas well-ventilated, using fans or air conditioners; relocate employees to cooler work spots; and provide cool rest areas for breaks. They should relax dress codes, if necessary, and encourage workers to wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing. They also should keep ample amounts of water and other beverages on hand so workers can replenish body fluids lost through perspiration. Another OSHA recommendation is to start work shifts earlier to reduce workers’ exposure to the hottest hours of the day. To prevent cold stress, workers should wear warm, layered clothing that protects them from cold, wet and windy conditions; take frequent breaks in warm, dry locations; and avoid exhaustion and fatigue, which depletes energy needed to keep warm. Drinking warm beverages, avoiding caffeine and eating high-calorie foods like pasta also can help prevent cold stress.