30 degrees and more – heat free at work? When your boss has to cool down by law

How nice it was at school when the announcement “heat-free” was announced on very hot days. If you are not a teacher, you give up this nice privilege when you start working life. But above a certain temperature, the employer must become active and ensure cooling.

• 26 degrees:
  Doesn’t sound like much in the current heat, but it shouldn’t get warmer than 26 degrees in the office. Now is
  the employer encouraged to intervene, such as with
  reflective devices on the windows, sun protection glazing or appropriate planting to ensure cooling.
• 
  30 degrees:
  If the thermometer exceeds this limit, the employer must act. Ventilation facilities, provision of drinks or relaxation of clothing regulations are conceivable.
  
• 
  35 degrees:
  According to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, if a work room is warmer than 35 degrees
  
  no longer suitable for work. Just going home, but even then it’s not allowed. Instead, employees should contact their superiors or the works council.

There is currently a huge run in Austria for a new app for construction workers. This shows when it is too hot on the construction site. Conveniently, Austrian occupational safety applies from 32.5 degrees Celsius and then there can actually be no heat.

Apps for everyone who works outdoors

In Germany, occupational safety does not go that far. But if you work outside, you can use a weather app like Overdrop

to use. The offers some exciting widgets with which you can bring the weather display directly to your home screen. In addition to the actually measured number of degrees, the app also shows the perceived temperature.

Anyone who works outdoors should not underestimate UV radiation. An app like UVLens will help you get the right protection.

The easiest way to check the temperature at your workplace is with a thermometer. However, the available thermometer apps should be used with caution. Mobile phones usually do not have built-in sensors to measure the outside temperature. If so, then the sensors measure internal temperatures.

What is an elegant option is a thermometer with an app connection. The measurement is then taken by an external thermometer right where you work. You get the measured data transferred to your mobile phone. Take it to your manager or the works council.

Heat-free in the home office?

But what if you work from home? In the case of real teleworking, far-reaching occupational health and safety regulations also apply to working from home. It is definitely worth talking to your employer about appropriate measures if the heat is too high.

However, most companies only allow their employees to work remotely. The requirements for occupational safety and health are not so strict here. In this case, the employer does not have to worry about heat protection. Here you have to become active yourself and come up with tricks to cool down.