ABSTRACT
With metrification, 60° F became 13° C, but the clear standard remained. The provision related only to workrooms in factories, though a similar standard applied to offices under the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act. Most other workplaces had no regulatory standard for the temperature of the workplace. Neither factories nor offices had any standard for maximum temperature. The legislation (the Factories Act 1961, s 3(1)) did state that ‘Effective provision shall be made for securing and maintaining a reasonable temperature ...’, but the significance of this for ensuring that workrooms did not get too hot was not generally appreciated in a system which related to clearly prescribed standards. Those who worked in premises which were neither factories nor offices, shops or railway premises had no comparable express statutory protection.
