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Comments: Judith S. Karon
Webmaster: Lita C. Wallace
External Access: 24746

Procedure if forecast for the Duluth Area is calling for high temperatures close to 100 degrees.

Some UMD buildings without mechanical ventilation and air conditioning may experience high temperatures above the permissible exposure limits.  See Heat Stress and Heat- Related Illnesses Fact Sheet, for information applicable to office situations. 

As part of administrative controls prescribed by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) a supervisor or a department has the following options (see fact sheet for further information):

• Move the employee to a cooler or air conditioned area on campus
  
• Provide additional breaks
• Changing the work procedure to reduce the burden on the employee or to reduce the amount of work that the employee is expected to perform.
• Allow employees to work from home.

Another strategy that some units have used in the past is the temporary adjustment of work hours.

Sending employees home is at the supervisor/department discretion, especially in cases where heat is at levels above the permissible exposure limits and all other options are not feasible.  However, the employee would need to use accrued vacation time, banked compensatory time, or time without pay.

Questions regarding Environmental Temperature Standard, contact Mahjoub Labyad, Department of Environmental Health and Safety at mlabyad@d.umn.edu or 218-726-7273.

Questions regarding work hours and pay practices may be directed to Judith Karon, Department of Human Resources and Equal Opportunity at jkaron@d.umn.edu or 726-6326.