In Poland, new occupational safety rules are planned to be introduced on January 1, 2027, which will establish maximum temperatures in workplaces for the first time. Employers will be required to protect employees from heat and, in some cases, even stop work. This is reported by InPoland.
What temperature standards are being proposed
Currently, Polish legislation only defines the minimum temperature in the workplace but does not set an upper limit. The new project aims to change this.
Employers will need to react if the temperature in offices or during light work exceeds 28 degrees. For heavy physical work, the upper limit will be 25 degrees.
Once these values are exceeded, companies must provide protection from heat for employees through air conditioning, ventilation, or other technical solutions.
Employers will be obliged to change working conditions
If it is not possible to reduce the temperature through technical means, organizational changes will need to be implemented.
Among the proposed measures:
-
additional breaks;
-
changing work schedules;
-
remote work;
-
resting in cool rooms.
For outdoor workers, performing the heaviest work during the hottest hours may also be restricted.
If you are interested in working in Poland, we suggest exploring 350,000 job vacancies on Layboard.
In Poland, work will be stopped at critical temperatures
According to the project, if the temperature in a room exceeds 35 degrees and the employer cannot provide safe conditions, work must be suspended.
Outdoors, work involving high or very high physical loads will be prohibited when the temperature exceeds 32 degrees. Exceptions are only provided for processes that cannot be interrupted for technological reasons.
Companies will also be required to regularly monitor temperatures and document measurement results. The new rules are planned to be implemented on January 1, 2027, to give businesses time to prepare for the new requirements.
It should be noted that 441 foreign doctors in Poland lost the right to work.