Be Excellent To Each Other

Quick Health & Safety legislation query in case any of you people know... how cold does it have to be in my storeroom before an employer cannot legally require me stay at work?

Reason for query: the TNT delivery driver just smashed into our shutters, so buckling them and creating a big gap at the bottom that is letting all the freezing air in. I read somewhere that 16 degrees is a guideline, and to be honest it is barely that under normal circumstances, I usually have my hat, scarf and coat on all morning at work... what should I be doing about this?

You'll have to look at your contract. As far as I'm aware, there are only guidelines and no 'rules' as such.
I used to work in a milk factory that was kept at a constant 2degC, for instance.


Getting someone out to repair the shutters and putting your coat on in the meantime?

Yeah, I used to work in a Packaged Ice factory and Cold Store. It was pretty chilly in there.

If it's manual work, and essentially outside, I doubt there's any legal requirement.

You should be provided with suitable clothing though - if you don't want to buy it yourself you could try that angle.

I have a super warm insulated pair of overalls from machine mart, they're great, even in 0 degrees you can get too warm if you're walking about and stuff.

At my workplace it's currently about -1

I also would like some sympathy, I should have said that explicitly

You girl.

IIRC there are rules on it getting too hot but not too cold.

Wrong way around.

HSE guidelines say 16 degrees C for a normal officey type place of work, obviously Grim...'s example of a milk factory is an exception as it has to be kept cold (I assume you were given the correct PPE?)

I don't think you can walk out as such, but you can kick up a stink. Also: poor diddums (is that sympathetic enough?).

Here's some more info:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/thermal/faq.htm

Pussy! I used to spend up to an hour in the -18 freezer at Sainsbury's re-organising the old cages. That is, cages packed with frozen food. They did supply me with a big freezer coat and gloves, mind. Also, when you breathed in through your nose, the cold air would kinda freeze your nose hair. It was a strange sensation. Brilliant in July.

As I don't know what PPE is, probably not.

Oh, clothes. No. They just gave you a job. If you wanted to be warm, you wore more things.

[edit]They did provide overalls and hairnets, though.

Personal Protective Equipment. So yes.

Temperature update: so cold that when I went to the toilet I couldn't find my winky

But I'm over it now, I was mostly in a bad mood earlier after the shouting match I had with the TNT "driver" and was ready to go to war over anything that took my fancy. Also, the boss is very much on my side about another completely different and more important issue within the company so it wouldn't pay to piss him off over something I can just grit my teeth and bear in the short term. Although I may change my mind again if my fingers actually DO drop off from frostbite.

I did think it seemed a bit unfair, considering it was the TNT man's fault.
Is someone coming to fix the shutter?

So, no different from normal then?

[/Predictable]

Myps, check your botty bot.

I hope so, but there was a lot of banging and crashing went on while I was at lunch and it now looks slightly better, although still not good enough... hopefully they don't decide that it IS good enough and doesn't need a proper repairman out now. Our boss is very much a handyman so I wouldn't put it past him to decide he can do it himself, just needs a proper tool which I've got at home, oops I forgot to bring it in/couldn't find it, I'll bring it in on Monday, oops I forgot again... you get the idea. Anything to avoid spending a couple of quid which we'd be claiming from TNT's insurance anyway

Would the TNT guy have crashed if you'd gritted the access road like you were meant to though?

Welcome to winter in Thunder Bay.

Iqualuit? *goes off to check spelling*

Iqaluit, that's the bugger. One of the coldest places on earth, also in Canada

I lived in NJ USA so it was your weather being sent to us. It would come down through Buffalo onto the east coast.

Hehe, this made me smile



http://www.city.iqaluit.nu.ca/apps/fuse ... isplayHome

And then you go to the weather forecast...

So? It was -39 in Edmonton the other day, which is a lot further south than Iqaluit.

Indeed. Iqaluit is actually rather balmy as far as Canadian winters go. For the real basket-case temparatures you need to be on the Prairies, up by Yellowknife or in the high Arctic, somewhere like Resolute.

How is Iqaluit pronounced?

English and Canadian versions please.

Ickaloo it?

Eyekwalyouwit?

Ian (, eh).

:runs:

ick al oo eet

Update: door got fixed today

Flipside: it was open all afternoon while the fixing took place and my fingers turned so purple they hurt