Workplace temperature (office or production hall) – what does OHS say in Poland?

Ensuring an appropriate temperature in the workplace is one of the employer”s OHS duties in Poland. An employee may refuse to perform their duties if the employer fails to comply with the relevant standards. The regulations set a minimum workplace temperature, but no maximum temperature has been specified (despite this, the employer is still obliged to ensure appropriate working conditions); there is also an obligation to provide cold drinks at the workplace in high temperatures.

How temperature affects the human body

Too low a temperature can negatively affect work performance and concentration, lead to frequent colds and, consequently, sick leave. Staying in too low a temperature can lead to hypothermia and, in extreme cases, even frostbite.

High temperature also negatively affects work performance; moreover, a person who stays for a longer time in elevated temperatures enters a state of so-called hyperthermia, also known as overheating. Its symptoms include headaches and dizziness, an accelerated heart rate, nausea and disturbed consciousness. The effects of the body overheating can even include loss of consciousness or breathing problems.

Working online from home has also become popular — so what should the employer keep in mind in such situations? Read about OHS for remote work.

Both workplace temperature and other aspects of ensuring occupational health and safety require constant monitoring and supervision. OHS specialists and internal auditors play a key role in ensuring regulatory compliance and employee comfort.

Minimum and maximum workplace temperature in Poland

Minimum temperature on the production floor

The minimum workplace temperature has been clearly defined by law – it may not be lower than 14°C (unless technological reasons do not allow it) on the production floor.

Minimum temperature in the office

For office work it is 18°C (the same applies to rooms where light physical work is performed).

The maximum workplace temperature has not been defined by labour law. OHS regulations state that in rooms where work is performed, the employer should ensure a temperature appropriate to the type of work, i.e. the work methods and the physical effort involved (§ 30 of the regulation on general OHS provisions). It is generally assumed that this is 30°C for office work, 28°C for heavy physical work, and 26°C in special conditions. The maximum temperature in workrooms has, however, been defined in the regulations for young workers and amounts to 30°C.

Cooling drinks at the workplace

OHS regulations in Poland also require employers to provide employees with cold drinks free of charge if the temperature in the rooms where they work exceeds 28°C. If employees work outdoors, the employer must provide cooling drinks when the air temperature exceeds 25°C. The type of cooling drinks the employer provides is up to them — it can be mineral water, juice, compote or, for example, cold tea. A commonly used way to provide cooling drinks is installing a water dispenser at the workplace.

Legal basis

Temperature in workrooms – Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general occupational health and safety provisions (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2003, No. 169, item 1650, as amended).

Cooling drinks – Art. 232 of the Labour Code; Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general occupational health and safety provisions (Journal of Laws 2003, No. 169, item 1650, as amended); Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 28 May 1996 on preventive meals and drinks (Journal of Laws 1996, No. 60, item 279, as amended).

Maximum workplace temperature for young workers – Annex No. 1 to the regulation on the list of work prohibited for young workers and the conditions of their employment for some of these works.

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