moved to a windowless room in the office that's just been painted and had new carpets

PollySouthend

Hi,

I've just been moved at work into an old store cupboard that has just been painted and had new carpets fitted. There is no windows in the room and no way for the fumes to escape so it has really set off my asthma and given me an awful headache for the half an hour I was in there.

My manager and the health and safety person at work are not taking my issues seriously but I'm totally unable to work in this room.

Is there anything I can do? Not sure if the room is legal as there are no vents or anyway to get a decent amount of fresh air in.

Podge52

Can you not leave the door open?

PlutoinCapricorn

Relevance
Roy <
Best Answer: Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, there is no legal requirement for them to have windows.

They just need to provide adequate mechanical ventilation which brings in the fresh air, remove the stale air and adequate lighting for the job you are doing.

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100914132848AAgfnDg

atolaas

Can you request a fan to help the fumes dissipate? Is it safe to leave to door open overnight to help get rid of the fumes?

dickydonkin

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

Relevance
Roy <
Best Answer: Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, there is no legal requirement for them to have windows.

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100914132848AAgfnDg

But there is also general duty for the employer to ensure the health safety and welfare of their staff. Clearly if the fumes are exacerbating an existing condition, there is an issue that needs to be addressed.

What may not seem to be a problem to many of us who fumes would not affect, it can be a miserable experience for those who it does.

A happy worker is a productive one and health reasons aside, it is in the interests of the employer to sort this out.

Carpet and paint fumes will eventually dissipate and as atolaas sensibly suggested, ask the employer to move the OP for a short period and let the room ventilate.

PollySouthend wrote: »

Hi,

My manager and the health and safety person at work are not taking my issues seriously but I'm totally unable to work in this room.

Any qualified 'health and safety person' would easily sort this out. I wonder if this H&S 'person' is a member of HR who doesn't have a clue and has been given the poison chalice of H&S where the OP works.

See it so many times - they can copy and paste legislation until their hearts content, but cannot interpret the laws into real life situations. Either the actions are over zealous (Daily Mail loves this scenario) or no action is taken at all - hoping the problem will go away.

It seems the latter in the OP's situation.

OP, if the problem persists, ask you manager if you can work elsewhere until the fumes dissipate. This is not an unreasonable request.

Southend1

If you are a member of a union then your union H&S rep will be able to help you get a resolution

ohreally

Look at this from a different perspective, died the room size meet current regs?
I'm tied up at the moment, perhaps DD would explain/link to welfare regs.

BoJangles_2

Maybe a temporary resolution could be put forward until the fumes have disappeared?

dickydonkin

ohreally wrote: »

Look at this from a different perspective, died the room size meet current regs?
I'm tied up at the moment, perhaps DD would explain/link to welfare regs.

I'm unsure if space is an issue with the OP, but here is some info regarding workspace.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/roomspace.htm

Hopefully the problem with fumes will resolve itself over time, but if the asthma persists, I would seek medical advice and a medical opinion may hasten a resolution to the problem.

I also wonder if the lighting in the room is suitable as this could also cause headaches.

Hope the OP gets it sorted.

rdr

More relevant is regulation 6 of The Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, see page 21

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/l24.pdf

(1) Effective and suitable provision shall be made to ensure that every enclosed workplace is ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or purified air.

Building regs will also have something to say on this matter

paddyrg

Also, how about leaving the door open with a strong fan running overnight - it'll help speed up the clearing of the air