Health & Safety at Work

The Quebec Regulation respecting occupational health and safety sets standards for the minimum obligatory temperature to be respected in our establishments, taking into account the nature of work being carried out. These standards require a minimum ambient temperature of 20 degrees Celsius in situations involving mental work. This is reduced to 16 degrees Celsius for work carried out, for example, in a gymnasium. The basic formula is simple: the more our work requires us to move, the more the minimal temperature to be respected is reduced.

Schedule IV: Standards of temperature in establishments (article 117)

Nature of work performed and the minimum temperature required

• Light work performed while sitting, especially mental work, precision work, or which requires reading or writing: 20°C
• Light physical work performed while sitting, electric machine sewing and work with small machine tools: 19°C
• Light work performed while standing, especially machine tool work: 17°C
• Moderate work performed while standing, assembly and trimming: 16°C
• Heavy work performed while standing, drilling and manual work with heavy tools: 12°C

Regulation respecting occupational health and safety
Extracted from the Act respecting occupational health and safety (R.S.Q., c. S-2.1, s. 223)

However, although the question is frequently asked during the (sometimes numerous) days of extreme heat at the beginning and end of the school year, the law does not set a maximum temperature to which workers may be exposed. This situation arises because of the many factors which must be taken into consideration depending on the work location: for example, relative humidity, exposure to the sun, physical demands of the work. This is why the CNESST suggests instead various means to limit the discomfort caused by heat (hydration, fans, etc.).