Workplace temperature in the Czech Republic: limits, heat, cold and employee rights

Minimum and maximum workplace temperatures in the Czech Republic depend on the type of work and the working environment. We explain the basic limits, protective drinks, breaks and how to proceed when working in heat and cold.

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Updated on 24 October 2026 in line with the legislation in force on that date.

What is the minimum and maximum workplace temperature?

There is no single temperature limit for all employees in the Czech Republic. What matters is the physical demands of the work, the type of workplace and the method of measurement. Different rules apply to an office, a warehouse, outdoor work or a cold store. The basic regulation is Government Regulation No. 361/2007 Coll., in particular Sections 3b to 8 and Annex 1.

For naturally or mechanically ventilated indoor workplaces, Table 2 of Part A of Annex 1 sets, among others, the following basic values of operative or resultant temperature:

Class I: minimum 20 °C, maximum 27 °C. This includes, for example, ordinary sedentary office work.
Class IIa: minimum 18 °C, maximum 26 °C.
Class IIb: minimum 14 °C, maximum 30 °C.
Class IIIa: minimum 10 °C, maximum 30 °C.

This is a selection of basic values, not a universal rule applicable to every workplace. The table assumes appropriate clothing: a thermal resistance of 1.0 clo for the minimums and 0.5 clo for the maximums; other conditions set out in the regulation also apply. Classification is based on the actual energy expenditure at work, not merely on the job title. A separate Table 3 is used for air-conditioned workplaces of classes I and IIa. Workplaces where cold is required by the technology also have a special regime.

Operative or resultant temperature also takes other environmental conditions into account. A reading from an ordinary room thermometer may therefore not in itself prove compliance with or breach of the hygiene limit. At an outdoor workplace, heat stress is assessed using the resultant globe thermometer temperature.

Working in heat: what must the employer provide?

The employer must assess heat stress and adopt measures appropriate to the specific work. These include adjusting the work regime, alternating work with safety breaks and providing protective drinks. For work in classes IIb to V, where permissible values are exceeded, a regime of work and breaks based on the long-term and short-term permissible working time applies.

For work in classes I and IIa at indoor workplaces where temperature is not maintained, a special rule applies on an extremely hot day when the outdoor temperature exceeds 30 °C. The basic maximums from Table 2 are not required under the specified conditions, but replacement of fluid loss under Table 5 of Part A of Annex 1 must be provided; for these workplaces the table sets a ceiling of 34 °C. The exception therefore does not mean working in any heat without protective measures.

When is an employee entitled to a protective drink?

A protective drink for heat stress is not determined by a single temperature common to all professions. What matters is the work class and fluid loss; the details are set out in Annex 1 and Section 8 of the regulation. Over an eight-hour shift, the drink should replace at least 70% of the loss of fluids and minerals through sweating and breathing.

For classes I to IIIa, it may be lightly mineralised natural mineral water, spring water or water of equivalent quality. For physically more demanding work in classes IIIb to V, the replacement is divided between moderately mineralised water and the water specified for the lower classes. It is therefore not enough to mechanically allocate the same number of bottles to each employee without assessing the conditions.

Working in cold: clothing, breaks and a warm drink

When working in cold, protective equipment, safety breaks and drinks must be distinguished. Under Section 7, when the temperature maintained as a technological requirement or the corrected air temperature falls below 10 °C, appropriate work clothing is provided; at 4 °C or below, also gloves and work footwear protecting against cold. The specific protection must correspond to the working conditions.

If work at a temperature maintained as a technological requirement or at a corrected temperature of 4 °C or below lasts more than two hours per shift, the employee is entitled to safety breaks in a warming room of at least ten minutes. The regulation also limits the duration of continuous work according to the intensity of the cold.

A warm protective drink is provided in a quantity of at least half a litre per eight-hour shift for outdoor work if the corrected air temperature is below 4 °C, or at an indoor workplace where a temperature below 4 °C is a technological requirement. The rule for the drink therefore uses the threshold "below 4 °C", while some other protective measures also apply at exactly 4 °C.

Can work be refused because of heat or cold?

Under Section 106(2) of the Czech Labour Code, an employee may refuse to perform work which he or she reasonably believes directly and seriously endangers his or her life or health, or the life or health of other people. Such refusal must not be regarded as a failure to fulfil the employee's duties. It is not, however, an automatic right to leave work every time a thermometer reading is exceeded: the specific conditions and the nature of the danger are decisive.

How to proceed when conditions are unsatisfactory

Inform your superior of the specific problem: place, time, the work performed and the missing protective measures.
Ask for an explanation of which class the work falls into, how the stress was assessed and what measures the employer has taken.
Record what happened and the employer's response. An indicative measurement alone does not replace an expert assessment of the working environment.
In a dispute about the employer's duties or whether refusing work was justified, have the specific circumstances assessed.

We can help you assess the employer's duties and resolve an employment dispute as part of our employment law service.