ventilation

Hi y'all!

My wife works in an office building in an area full of office complexes.  Some dued told her that if the building aint  running the normal hvac with heat and air conditioning they cannot require her to work more than 4 hours.  Is that dude right?  He says its an osha rule.  My buddy told me our state doesn't have any special OSHA rules just follows fed rules and no such rule exists for federal  laws.  Whos right?  My lady and I are just hard working people.  I gots a good job now but I used to work in a pizza kitchen and man it was hot!!!   Sometimes the ac went out in a Saint L summer.  Our bosses took extra protection to give us loads of breaks and let us keep water at our workstations and told us to tell them if we felt bad.  My wife is a salary office worker.  She works in an office but it never gets very hot or cold there even when the the hvac isn't running like it does during the week.  Are offices buildings required to have special ventilation at all times with renters not having to have someone work more than 4 hours without it?  Even if that's the case, is that 4 hours at a time or a total of 4 hours in a day?  Say she works 4 hours, goes to lunch, then works another 4 hours even if this rule is true.  My gals a hard worker and it aint never bothered her but she would like to get out of work sometimes.  Since its salary her paycheck would be good.

CarlLane:

My wife works in an office building in an area full of office complexes.  Some dued told her that if the building aint  running the normal hvac with heat and air conditioning they cannot require her to work more than 4 hours.  Is that dude right?  He says its an osha rule.  My buddy told me our state doesn't have any special OSHA rules just follows fed rules and no such rule exists for federal  laws.  Whos right?

My common sense tells me that there isn't likely to be such a rule.

After all, HVAC doesn't run continuously. It turns off an on repeatedly during the day as temperature fluctuates. And it could conceivably stay off for hours at a time when the temperature is stable.

So far, all I could find about HVAC laws is the IL Energy Conservation Code:

http://www.commerce.state.il.us/dceo/Bureaus/Energy_Recycling/IECC.htm

You can call up that agency and see if there are any other laws about heating and cooling office buildings.

CarlLane:

it never gets very hot or cold there even when the the hvac isn't running

So what's there to complain about?

CarlLane:

Are offices buildings required to have special ventilation at all times with renters not having to have someone work more than 4 hours without it? 

That part seem a bit silly, doesn't it?

CarlLane:

she would like to get out of work sometimes. 

Wouldn't everybody?

She could always quit and stay home if she doesn't want to work.

There might be laws or codes as to air circulation or replenishment--that part requires a bit of homework.

I can tell you that some major major offices get shut down over a HVAC failure but I think this is a management call not a legal call. My service crews sometimes got the service calls and it was no expense spared kind of work to get those buildings opened back up.

But W or W/o finding a rule on point I think one is asking for problems to walk off the job due to a HVAC failure --gets you fired --and it probably kills your odds to get UC as well.

Now if there is a law on point and worker  makes a complaint to the appropriate agency you might be in some safety zone as to reprisals.

CarlLane:

Is that dude right?  He says its an osha rule. 

No, I don't believe that dude is correct.  Generally, office temperature and humidity involve human comfort, not safety. OSHA has no regulations specifically addressing temperature and humidity in an office setting.  Outside of an office setting in an agricultural area, that's different.

Hot v. cold offices means the employee learns how to dress in layers of clothing and make self-adaptations.

CarlLane:

.  She works in an office but it never gets very hot or cold there even when the the hvac isn't running like it does during the week ...My gals a hard worker and it aint never bothered her but she would like to get out of work sometimes. 

If her office never gets very hot or cold then looking to OSHA "to get out of work sometimes" is a wrong approach.  Using it as an invalid attempt to get some time off can get her out of work with that employer permanently.  

CarlLane:

My gals a hard worker and it aint never bothered her but she would like to get out of work sometimes.

Your gal can game the system if she wants, but at some point someone is likely to catch on and drop a dime on her and then she gets to look for a new job.

CarlLane:

Since its salary her paycheck would be good.

How much does she like getting paid?  If she like getting paid, then she needs to follow the rules and enjoy her legit time off. 

Just saying 

CarlLane:

Some dued told her that if the building aint  running the normal hvac with heat and air conditioning they cannot require her to work more than 4 hours.

That sounds highly doubtful.

CarlLane:

My buddy told me our state doesn't have any special OSHA rules just follows fed rules

Looks like that is true.

The ONLY possible way the "dude" could be right, and then he'd only be half-right, would be if your wife's building has an issue with one or more air contaminants on OSHA's list, and 4 hours of no air circulation results in the contaminant concentration going above the OSHA limit.

If that is the situation, there'd be no need for the heat or AC to work, only the ventilation-system fans would need to work or the windows would need to be openable.

Be smart and let others walk the plank on this one..

OSHA may well address indoor air quality in commerical buildings but I think that is as to stuff in the air and not hot or cold.

There may be standards are to 'fresh air " or temperatues  generated by various industrial groups but that does not make them law .

There may be building code issues as to heat in winter or summer coolings but I recally them just in residential rental context.