Minimum and Maximum Workplace Temperature – What Really Protects Employees and What Is an Illusion?

How many degrees are allowed at work before someone can say: “Stop, this is illegal”?
Many employees believe there is one specific number – a threshold beyond which work is prohibited. 30°C? 35°C? Or maybe 0°C in winter?
On the other hand, employers often respond with general statements: “conditions are safe,” “we ensure comfort,” “temperature is adjusted to the type of work performed.” It sounds reassuring. The problem is that such phrases do not always mean real safety.

So where is the line between acceptable conditions and a violation of the law? When are we talking about discomfort, and when about a health risk? And who decides?

Below is a clear, myth-free analysis based on the Polish Labour Code and the Dutch Arbowet and Arbobesluit regulations.

What Is the Permissible Temperature at the Workplace?

Both Polish and Dutch labour law do not rely on one rigid temperature range that automatically prohibits work. Instead, they use an approach based on:

• type of work,
• physical workload intensity,
• working environment,
• impact of temperature on health and safety.

Medically, this makes sense. Legally, however, it can be problematic. Where there is no specific number, interpretation begins. And in practice, interpretation often depends on who has the stronger position – the employee or the employer.

Poland – There Is a Minimum, but No Maximum

The legal basis is § 30 of the Regulation of the Minister of Labour and Social Policy of 26 September 1997 on general occupational health and safety provisions.

It clearly states:

• in workrooms, the temperature cannot be lower than 18°C,
• exceptions apply where technology requires different conditions (e.g., cold storage facilities).

This is one of the few situations where the legislator provides a specific value. If an office has 16°C, this is not a “subjective feeling of cold” – it is a violation of regulations.

However, there is no statutory maximum temperature for office spaces. In this respect, Article 207 §2 of the Labour Code applies, which obliges the employer to ensure safe and hygienic working conditions. This is a general provision – it allows for assessment but does not set an automatic limit.

The Netherlands – No Numbers, but Clear Obligations

In the Netherlands, microclimate issues are regulated by the Arbobesluit (Article 6.1) and Arbocatalogus guidelines.

There is no legally defined minimum or maximum temperature in degrees Celsius. The obligation concerns:

• ensuring adequate thermal comfort,
• limiting risks resulting from excessive heat or cold.

In practice, office temperatures usually range between approximately 20–26°C, but these are guidelines, not strict norms. What matters most is the effect on employee health, not the number shown on the thermometer.

High Temperatures – Obligations, but No Automatic Work Ban

Poland

§ 112 of the OHS Regulation states that in high temperatures, the employer must provide cooling drinks when:

• outdoor temperature exceeds 25°C,
• indoor temperature exceeds 28°C.

This is an obligation to mitigate the effects of heat, not to prohibit work. Even at 35°C, work may continue if basic hydration and workplace organization requirements are met.

The Netherlands

The Dutch approach focuses on heat stress. Employers should:

• reduce exposure time,
• introduce additional breaks,
• reorganize work.

If a risk assessment shows a real threat to health, work should be modified or suspended. The difference is that in the Netherlands, the key factor is the impact on the human body, not exceeding a specific number.

Work in Cold Storage and Cold Environments

Poland

Working in cold storage is a special environment. The body does not treat a few degrees above zero as neutral – it treats it as a challenge. Temperatures in cold rooms often range between 0–8°C.

Polish regulations do not specify one “magic” number below which work is forbidden. Instead, there are conditional obligations.

According to § 44 of the OHS Regulation, the employer must:

• provide protective clothing,
• limit working time in low temperatures,
• ensure access to warm-up rooms.

Protection exists – but it requires organization and responsibility.

Lack of proper clothing, gloves, or head covering may lead to discomfort, thermal shock, and in extreme cases hypothermia (body temperature below 35°C). Lack of recovery breaks leads to chronic fatigue, reduced concentration, and slowed reactions.

Health consequences may include:

• respiratory infections,
• circulatory and metabolic disorders,
• dizziness,
• muscle stiffness,
• rheumatic problems.

The body works harder in cold conditions – even when the employee is standing still. The Labour Code classifies such conditions as “special.” This means the employer must realistically ensure safety: provide personal protective equipment, conduct occupational risk assessments, refer employees for medical examinations, organize training, and create hygienic working conditions.

Additionally, at temperatures below 10°C, the employer must provide hot drinks and regenerative meals.

What Is a Regenerative Meal?

It is one hot meal granted to employees performing physical work in rooms where the temperature does not exceed 10°C, provided the energy expenditure exceeds:

• 1500 kcal for men,
• 1000 kcal for women per shift.

Cold drains energy faster than most people think.

Technical standards (PN-EN ISO 12894:2002, PN-EN ISO 9886:2005) address thermal load and comfort. Protective clothing should meet PN-EN 14058:2018-02 and EN 342 requirements – meaning it must genuinely insulate and protect against wind and moisture, not just “look warm.”

Cold storage temperatures may range from +4°C to -30°C, depending on the industry and goods stored. Technological limits are determined by HACCP standards and sanitary regulations. An occupational physician ultimately decides whether an employee is fit to work in such conditions.

The Netherlands

The Arbobesluit requires:

• a risk assessment (RI&E – Risk Inventory & Evaluation),
• adjustment of working time and breaks,
• use of certified protective equipment.

If RI&E indicates a health risk, work organization must be changed. The Dutch system relies less on numeric thresholds and more on documentation and real evaluation of impact on employees.

Hydration – A Safety Measure, Not a Comfort Perk

A physically active person working in high temperatures may need 3–5 liters of fluids daily, and even more during intense exertion. Regular hydration is crucial. Small amounts consumed every several minutes are more effective than drinking large quantities at once. In mental work, fluid demand is lower but still important. Signs of dehydration – headaches, dizziness, irritability, dark urine – appear faster than many assume.

High temperature reduces concentration and efficiency, and reduced concentration increases accident risk. Hydration is therefore part of prevention, not just comfort.

What Can an Employee Actually Do in Case of Poor Working Conditions?

Labour law only makes sense if it can be enforced. And here the differences between Poland and the Netherlands are visible not so much in the wording of the regulations themselves, but in how they are applied in practice.

In Poland, the core problem is blurred responsibility. An employee often knows the conditions are poor – excessive temperature, no breaks, no access to water – yet hears that “the regulations do not prohibit it.” Formally, this is sometimes true, because the Labour Code rarely defines strict thresholds. What remains is Article 207 of the Labour Code, which imposes a general obligation on the employer to protect the employee’s health and life. However, this is an umbrella provision: useful as an argument, weak as an immediate shield.

If regulations are not respected and the employer does not respond to complaints, an employee in Poland may:

• report the matter to the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), anonymously or by name,
• invoke Article 210 of the Labour Code, which grants the right to refrain from work in the event of a direct threat to health or life,
• seek an opinion from an occupational physician, who may declare the conditions unsafe.

In the Netherlands, the mechanism is more technical, but also more effective. A key role is played by RI&E (Risico-Inventarisatie & Evaluatie) – the mandatory risk assessment. If temperature poses a health risk, it must be documented. And what is documented is subject to inspection.

An employee in the Netherlands may:

• raise the issue internally, referring to the RI&E,
• contact the bedrijfsarts (company doctor), whose opinion carries real weight,
• report the matter to the Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, which may impose fines or require organizational changes.

Workplace temperature is not a luxury or a matter of comfort. It is a component of safety, health, and the real ability to perform one’s duties. That is why it is worth knowing where myth ends and legal provision begins – and how to take care of yourself before your body forces the break.