 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I'm a Supervisor on a busy dock, and our big bosses have decided from their plush air conditioned office that all personnel now have to wear long trousers, absolutely no shorts whatsoever.
I have to spend the majority of my day in a fork lift, and when the sun shines it becomes unbearably hot. So my question to the STW masses is....
Is there a Safe Working Temperature for working inside machinery?
Any thoughts appreciated
no there isn't
There's a minimum (16C or a bit lower I think if you do manual work) but these are designed for office working. There is no upper limit
The HSE recommends "reasonable"
No.
But your employer needs to take appropriate control measures; such as regular breaks, access to drinking water, appropriate clothing/PPE, ventilating the cab etc
As I understand it...
There are minimum working temperatures but , somewhat bizarrely, no maximum. If there were then chefs, bakers, steelworkers and other people for whom intense heat is part of their working process wouldn't be able to do their jobs.
its only a wee bit warm ... have a thought for those working in oz .....
in the timor sea the deck can reach 50-60degrees C !
Its like working in an oven.
How ever they do take precautions - you work on rotation with a partner for the shift doing 30 minutes each , you always carry water , when your partner is working your inside the AC and importantly out of the sun. Sun cream and fully covered up - no shorts.
After uni I briefly worked in the warehouse of a well known jungle themed online retailer.
There were forklifts where the cab elevated with the forks, so they could pick from the high racking. Over summer it would get to around 50 degrees near the roof and often forklift drivers would pass out while picking and have to be rescued. It was ok though because we got an additional 10 minute break over the 10 hour shift.
I worked on the dock and it would regularly reach 35 degrees, I wore shorts year round.
Light trousers will probably be just as good as shorts. How hot are we talking? Over 40c? How will wearing shorts benefit you? Keeping the sun off you will probably be a good thing. Drink plenty of water and crack on.
Working on petrochemical plants you have to wear your nomex overalls all the time you're not in the office. You can be naked underneath them, but there isn't a substitute, and you had to do the top button up, sleeves had to be cinched etc.
Those things were warm!
On the plus side we got orange ones, the client engineers had to wear dark blue, I guess the image of a load of Arabs wandering around in orange boiler suits wasn't the one they wanted to project!
I was researching this yesterday and yes there isn't a max temp because some people work in conditions where heat is generally to be expected, like a furnace for eg. However some union websites recommend a max temp of approx 30C and HSE states that if enough employees complain then the employer should carry out a risk assessment. Speak to your union if you have one perhaps. Ask for a portable fan? usually cheap enough. Ask your boss to come and sit in a forklift for a time to open a serious debate on the issue?
I work in a non air conditioned laboratory. This has been a gripe of mine for years, it reaches 30 degrees on a warm day, the highest I've seen is 37 iirc, and we have to wear lab coats all day. I've tried wearing shorts on occasion, but the email soon circulates that shorts are unacceptable, but all the women wear skirts (and shorts) as they like with no repercussions. Recently got a new boss in my section though, who seems to have a bit of common sense. Got shorts on today, let's see how that goes!
richardkennerley you've got a blinder there mate as that is direct sexism. If they say no to shorts then come in wearing a skirt, ideally get them to sack you because of it and then take them to court citing unfair and sexist working practices. Speak to your union rep!
If they say no to shorts then come in wearing a skirt, ideally get them to sack you because of it and then take them to court citing unfair and sexist working practices. Speak to your union rep!
Might be a little bit of a pyrrhic victory there.
Speak to your union rep!
This is a good point. Do you have a safety officer? What's their opinion on all this?
Safety officer will surely come down on the side of wearing trousers. I can't see that conversation ending with a change of policy, except maybe a bit of a longer break if you are lucky.
When we lived in Oz (many years ago), we were sent home from school when it reached 36C IIRC.
Toughen up princess.
We regularly send Engineers into Machinery spaces on board ships to do 'hot work' (welding/brazing) where the ambient temps can be 50C
They can't wear shorts as they have to wear fire proof overalls.
Risk assessment basically says regular breaks (not working for more than 30 mins) have drinking water with you at all times etc.
Lots of people regularly work in extreme temps.. it is all about taking the right steps to mitigate the risks.
When we lived in Oz (many years ago), we were sent home from school when it reached 36C IIRC.
Bout right I reckon, I'll admit to getting bit mardy the other day because it was a bit hot in our office, even with the windows open.
Consider yourself lucky that you don't have to wear this lot... Made from really thick wool ('gladding')... plus safety glasses and a respirator and work in 40 degree+ ambient with enough radiant heat to melt the frames of the safety glasses:
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
I'm glad I don't have to anymore, anyway!
You are Windy Miller and I claim my five pounds
[img] 
[/img]
Can get toasty sometimes
didnt realise you were in backdraft bruneep 😉
Shorts? Try chainsaw trousers, I've changed ringing wet t-shirts twice today, but then I am a sweaty bugger.
all network rail staff have to wear orange fire proof trousers and tops, a helmet and safety glasses and gloves at all times when on the track, and some are doing a lot of manual work.
factories act states a supply of nourishing clean water with free access to it.
As trail rat said.
I've worked in oz, central Queensland, the pilbara, etc. Temperatures often got up to the high 40s. Shorts and short sleeve shirts are not allowed. Plenty of water always available and everybody trained to understand the signs of heat stroke.
Well I worked for 9hrs on our roll floor today doing a roll change on a unit that had been on fire.
Wearing Nomex trousers, long sleeved Nomex top, Hairnet,hard hat, gloves, safety glasses.
The windows don't open as its a food factory & the temp started @ 34deg this morning & reached 44deg @ 4pm.
I ended up feeling sick & had bloodshot eyes & a horrendous headache, on top of that I was so exhausted that I missed our Wednesday ride.
Thanks for the replies. I just had a moment yesterday, peed off with the job/company at present. (It's a good job with good colleagues, that's being slowly ruined by the management)
Guess I should just MTFU..
My compulsory PPE for work keeps me warm and toasty during freezing - temp nights in the winter, I know how a roast chicken feels during anything above 15 degrees most of the year!! Also work in a van with negligible ventilation, no opening windows etc, just the dash vents! I'm quite a sweaty person and prefer cool to warm so I can sometimes get through a few litres of water a day! As I'm classed as an outdoor worker there's no upper or lower temp level either.
Can get toasty sometimes
At about 10.30 when it's second breakfast, time for tea and toast.
Yeah there is no maximum working temperature, the minimum temperature only applies to sedentary work.
[url= http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/beat-heat-air-conditioned-pants.html ]you really want some of these[/url]
They look brilliant Twisty! I've forwarded the link to my H&S manager. Hope he has a sense of humour...