What are the factors of a healthy working environment?

Posted 7 years ago

The following factors must be of an adequate standard to ensure a healthy working environment:

Lighting

Natural light must be provided where practicable, supplemented by workplace lighting as necessary. All lighting must be adequate according to the work taking place.

Water

It is a legal requirement to provide drinking water to everybody in the workplace. Water provided through pipework should be regularly tested to ensure potability. An alternative to water through pipework is bottled water. Drinking water points should be clearly labelled.

Resting and eating facilities

These facilities must be provided, especially for workers who are standing up for prolonged periods and/or carrying out physical work. For office workers, food and drink are allowed to be consumed at workstations, provided that the workstation is kept clean.

Washrooms

Sufficient sanitary and washing facilities should be provided for the numbers of staff. The facilities must be properly ventilated, provided with hot and cold water and kept clean. Have a look at how many toilets a workplace should have!

Temperature

The minimum temperature at work should be 16°C for any work activities that are less physically-demanding. On the other hand, the minimum temperature a workplace should be for a more physically-demanding job should be around 13°C, because workers are more likely to overheat.

A maximum figure is a bit more tough to identify because the average temperature in certain environments is significantly higher than others. In environments that are significantly hotter, you can take certain measures to control temperature (i.e ventilation and air conditioning).