Legal advice: Can I refuse a room that is too cold?
It was so cold that students had their coats on and I stood in front of the class with scarf and blue hands. May I refuse to teach in this room, a secondary school teacher wants to know.
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"We regularly receive emails about rooms that are too cold or about heating systems that are set too high," says Wim Gulitz of the Information and Advice Center of the AOb. There is no prescribed temperature for schools in the legislation. The Working Conditions Catalog VO states that a good temperature in winter is between 19 and 25 degrees. “This teacher cannot refuse to work in the classroom,” Gulitz says. “The staff section is responsible for the health and safety policy at school. I recommend discussing the cold with them.”
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The Working Conditions Catalog also indicates that it is important for a pleasant temperature that students are not too close to the heating system and windows. Children near the window often sit with their legs next to the heating and their faces next to the cold window. Thermostatic valves per radiator can help regulate the temperature locally and double glazing ensures that less cold air flows past the windows, the Health and Safety Catalog mentions as a solution.
Humidity also affects comfort. Most people like a humidity of 35 to 70 percent. If the air in a room becomes stuffy or too dry, opening a window helps to ventilate, the Health and Safety Catalog advises.
