What is an acceptable temperature in an office?
Sarah Garza
Updated on March 23, 2026
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) recommends employers maintain workplace temperatures in the range of 68-76 degrees Fahrenheit and keep humidity in the range of 20 to 60%. Most consider 70 to 73 as ideal for the office, but the Cornell study found temperatures as high as 77 to be optimal.
At what temperature Can an employee refuse to work?
Failure to comply with these regulations can result in a lawsuit if workers become injured as a result of heat illness. While OSHA does not have specific regulations for indoor workplace temperatures, the agency recommends a temperature range between 68 and 76 degrees.
Is 23 degrees too hot for an office?
Working conditions too hot or too cold have been shown to have a significantly adverse effect on concentration and work performance. Studies have shown that working temperatures above 23 °C are likely to decrease productivity, furthermore at 30 °C and above your productivity drops to about 90% of its original capacity.
What do I do if my office is too hot?
Here are some measures that employees can put into place to keep workplaces as cool as possible:
- Insulate exposed pipes that can become hot.
- Shade windows.
- Move workstations away from areas that are exposed to the sun or frequently become hot.
- Provide air conditioning or fans for employees.
Can you legally leave work if it’s too cold?
There’s no law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, eg when it’s too cold or too hot to work. There’s no guidance for a maximum temperature limit. Employers must stick to health and safety at work law, including: keeping the temperature at a comfortable level.
Can an office be too cold?
There is actually no upper or lower legal limit for the temperature in an office environment, but the Health and Safety Executive states employers are legally obliged to keep the indoor temperature comfortable.
What temperature is too cold in an office?
The regulations state that there are no set minimum and maximum temperatures but that the temperature in the workplace must be reasonable and SUGGESTS a minimum of 51.8 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum of 55.4 degrees Fahrenheit. However, The C.I.B.S.E suggests 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
What should the temperature be in the workplace?
Guidance states that the temperature in the workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius unless the work requires physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. The temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing.
What should office temp be in summer and winter?
Recommendations provided by CSA Z412-17 Office Ergonomics – An application standard for workplace ergonomics include: Summer conditions: optimum temperature of 24.5°C with an acceptable range of 23-26°C Winter conditions: optimum temperature of 22°C with an acceptable range of 20-23.5°C
Is it too hot to work in the office?
Is it too hot to work? Temperatures in the indoor workplace are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. suggests the minimum temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius.
What should the temperature be in an office in Australia?
The old Australian Standard AS 1837 – 1976 Code of Practice for Application of Ergonomics to Factory and Office Work recommended a temperature range of 21 – 24 degrees Celsius.