ASR A3.5 Room temperature Room temperature
ASR A3.5 specifies the requirements for maintaining a beneficial room temperature.
There is a lot of discussion about room temperatures, especially during the summer months. What is the maximum temperature it can be and what measures must be taken? The legal basis for this is the Workplace Ordinance (ArbStättV) and in particular the Workplace Directive ASR A3.5. In general, “...a room temperature that is beneficial to health...” and “...protection against excessive sunlight...” are required in the workplace. This refers to work, break, standby, sanitary, canteen and first aid rooms that can become too cold or too warm due to external influences.
Beneficial room temperature
The minimum temperature is bindingly regulated depending on the severity of the work in workplaces without special climate requirements (ASR A3.5 does not apply in cold rooms). However, a maximum temperature is not specifically defined. The law states that 26°C should not be exceeded. This also applies if the outside temperature causes this condition.
However, if the room temperature exceeds 30°C, effective measures must be taken, with technical and organizational measures taking precedence over personal measures. Such measures may include, for example:
- Effective control of sun protection (e.g. keeping blinds closed even after working hours)
- Effective control of ventilation systems (e.g. night cooling)
- Reduction of internal thermal loads (e.g. only operate electrical devices when needed)
- Extensive ventilation in the early morning hours
- Use of flextime regulations to shift working hours
- Relaxation of clothing regulations, but special requirements must be observed in certain work areas (e.g. laboratory coat, long pants and sturdy shoes in the laboratory)
- Provision of suitable drinks (e.g. drinking water)
- Only eat foods that are easy to digest and avoid hot spices
- Occasionally hold your hands under cold running water
- Use of fans (e.g. table, floor, tower or ceiling fans)
If the air temperature in the room exceeds 35 °C, the room is unsuitable for the duration of the exceedance
- technical measures (e.g. air showers, water curtains)
- organizational measures (e.g. cooling phases) or
- personal protective equipment (e.g. heat protection clothing),
as with hot work, not suitable as a work space.
The Federal Center for Health Education provides tips on heat protection for employees. Furthermore, the following measures can be implemented as examples.
Protection against excessive sunlight
As in the Workplace Ordinance, ASR A3.5 only clearly and bindingly requires protection against excessive solar radiation. Table 3: “Design examples for sun protection systems” suggests the following examples against strong sunlight:
- Sun protection devices that shade the window from the outside (e.g. blinds or ventilated awnings)
- reflective devices arranged in the space between the glazing
- internal highly reflective or bright sun protection devices
- Sun protection glazing (within a sun protection system, glare protection and light color must be taken into account)