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Staying warm and keeping COVID-safe on campus

19 Nov 2021

Our University is following Government guidance on ventilation and air conditioning to protect colleagues against the risk of COVID-19, whilst keeping everyone comfortable on campus during the winter months

The Health and Safety Executive have set out some simple steps to ensure that rooms are properly ventilated, whilst continuing to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Based on these guidelines, our advice to colleagues working on campus is:

  • Windows do not need to be opened fully – a partially opened window is sufficient to ensure proper ventilation during the colder months as the outside airflow is greater.
  • Where there is natural ventilation, consider opening windows more if there is a break between use in meeting rooms, teaching space, or at lunch time in offices.
  • In a mechanically ventilated space, the air is heated and may be adjustable by the Estates team, depending on the system. If a mechanically ventilated space is too cold/hot, please contact the Estates helpdesk on ext. 52424 to see if the room temperature can be adjusted.
  • Please do not use portable fan heaters to heat rooms as these will introduce additional safety, health and fire hazards and do not comply with local risk assessments.

Thermal comfort is a matter of personal judgement and is influenced by clothing choice, activity levels and health conditions.

This advice may help in keeping the temperature comfortable and can be adjusted to balance warming and ventilating the space. However, we understand that this advice may not be applicable to every building on campus. If you feel you need to discuss your local arrangements, please do so with your line manager in the first instance who will be able to seek further advice from their local safety advisor or HR Partner.