Can I refuse to work in this cold?

morganedge

I don't know of any law. I'm personally freezing at work at the moment. I unload lorries outside for a good chunk of my job, and for the rest of the day i'm in the warehouse working next to the shutter door which is nearly always open! No heaters in sight!

Weather seems to be getting a tad warmer, though...

Sambucus_Nigra

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Bloody hell thats nothing! At least you have walls and a roof to keep you safe from the wind and the rain!

Imagine being a former council CEO (traffic warden is the common name) in the same conditions with no roof, no walls, just a thin coat and a crap hat.

Wind howling in your face at -5C, hands and fingers are blue, unable to write because your fingers can barely move and then being stuck out in it for hours on end. I'd be very surprised if many folks other than dustmen could beat that.

Or a gardener which is what I am at the moment. Not that bad as at least you can go inside unheated greenhouses when it's p1ssing down or blowing a gale.

Or working on the roads, in that we would be there as they would build them and have to test the density the day after. Which meant in the middle of nowhere, all the other guys had moved onto the next bit of road, and you are stuck on the new road [which is usually in the middle of a field] with not even the ability to walk as you have to stand there whilst the machine does it's thing every 10 m. I used to put bubble wrap in between 2 pairs of socks just to try and keep some heat in. At least you have buildings around you and somewhere to duck under if it rains; we had nothing [and yes, I am Pythoning it up but it's true!]. The worst was a new road in Dover during the winter with nothing between you and the wind coming straight off the Channel. Nice.

OP - not sure what you can do really; apart from crank the heaters up. It has been a warm winter thus far so it will only get colder.

SarEl

fedster wrote: »

Earl you are going extremly ott, my point is 10 Degrees is not cold, especially in an Office Enviroment,i think this is a valid point.

10 degrees is damned cold in an office environment and well below the guidelines of a comfortable temperature. If a H&S inspector were to visit an office environment maintained at this tempertaure they would close it until the heating situation had been resolved.

dandelionclock30

I worked as a camerman on the frozen planet, it got to minus 40 and we had to just get on with it!

DVardysShadow

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

I worked as a camerman on the frozen planet, it got to minus 40 and we had to just get on with it!

I was abducted by aliens in their flying saucer to the frozen planet. It was only when I started whinging about how cold it was that they agreed to send me back if I posted on MSE every day.

Charityworker

Thank you for all your replies.

I would like to clarify that at no point have I asked for a day off or wished to have a day off. I work a full time job but as it's a charity I only accept payment for 16 hours a week on the minimum wage of £6.08 per hour. I was working for them as a volunteer for a year before they offered me paid work which I was very grateful for as it meant I could come off jsa and on to wtc (but now this is stopping so I don't know how I'm going to get by).

I help out every weekend at fundraising events and answer phone calls from committee members at any time during my own free time. Even on my day off.

Ten degrees is a very good temperature for that building. There have been times when it's been 7 degrees and I could see my breath. I don't need a fridge for the milk as it keeps fresh out of the fridge.

Oh and I am also female!

Anacrusis

10 degrees is fine if you're moving about doing physical work but sitting at a desk you would be very very cold.

Sambucus_Nigra

Charityworker wrote: »

Ten degrees is a very good temperature for that building. There have been times when it's been 7 degrees and I could see my breath. I don't need a fridge for the milk as it keeps fresh out of the fridge.

Oh and I am also female!

Are you the only person there? What does everyone else feel about it? Why did they move there in the first place?

Charityworker

SarEl wrote: »

10 degrees is damned cold in an office environment and well below the guidelines of a comfortable temperature. If a H&S inspector were to visit an office environment maintained at this tempertaure they would close it until the heating situation had been resolved.

Thank you. I'm not about to invite a h & s inspector in as this charity has been my baby for a long time.

snowcat53

Just having read this thread I can only echo Bogbrush in the Private Eye column.
" Great stuff guys!"