Fan heaters in the office

[FortyElephants]

AIBU to ask a colleague to turn off the fan heater blowing at her feet?
i am genuinely unsure. If it was cold I would have sympathy but it is not. I have struggled with it many times but today is the second time I've asked her to turn it off. It's too hot regardless of which of the free desks I sit at. She got the hump and moved herself and her heater to a different corner of the office (I have to sit in the specific area, she doesn't)
am I being unreasonable saying please turn off the fan heater in the office?

You are definitely not being unreasonable- fan heaters make the air so dry and used to make my eyes really sore.
Why don't they invest in an electric throw instead? Cheaper and bothers no one else.

I have Renaud's. There have been times I have put a fan heater on my feet at work because although it isn't particularly cold, my toes have decided to shut off the blood supply. It's pretty uncomfortable.

Yes, I am wearing thermal tights and sometimes 2 pairs of socks on top (or underneath).

I have sympathy, my DH has reynauds in his fingers. But if your fan heater was making someone else uncomfortable would you insist on it?
You can buy electric feet warmers by the way, for around £30. I was looking on Amazon for alternative solutions as suggested by a PP!

PAT tested or not, they are still a dangerous fire hazard. Wonder if the building insurers are aware/ approve them?

Fan heaters are banned in my office now after the cleaners found one left on & just starting to smoulder.

Personally I would expect there to be a discussion on how both can be comfortable. Which might be something like the working spaces being moved further apart. My colleague runs hot, but she says the heat doesn't reach her, because I point it straight at my feet. We're in a small room with only room for two desks and a printer, so not a long way apart.

Are you genuinely saying that your comfort in not having a fan heater on trumps someone else's discomfort due to a medical condition? Because that comes across as pretty selfish.

Switch it round:
If a fan heater was reducing someone's pain would you insist on it being turned off?

And had it been pat tested...If not it's illegal to use in the office.

I worked in an office without ac and opening windows. One winters day a young woman complained of the cold and threaten to go home. I pointed out that the legal minimum is 16 degrees and that she was wearing a mini skirt.

If your cold put a vest on. Was she wearing trousers, long John's etc?

And had it been pat tested...If not it's illegal to use in the office.

PAT testing is not a legal requirement. An office can choose to make it a requirement, but it isn't illegal.

And I'll bet that in the same office there are people using things like phone chargers that haven't been tested, which are also a fire risk.

No. The law simply requires an employer to ensure that their electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger. It does not say how this should be done or how often. Employers should take a risk-based approach, considering the type of equipment and what it is being used for

From the government's health and safety webpage.

I have no idea about her underwear. Last time I asked her to turn it off she was wearing a short sleeved sweater. Today she had long sleeves but I don't know how warm her clothes were.

If someone needed a heat source for a medical issue I would expect them to be provided with something more efficient than a fan heater. But if it was a medical issue I would move. I wouldn't ask her to turn it off or let her move. It would be inconvenient for me but I'm not a total dick. However I would raise it with management to find a better solution that allowed her to be warm enough without making the environment impossible for me to work in.

Quite apart from being a fire hazard and incredibly inefficient, fan heaters can be awful for those of us with asthma/allergies. They literally blow dust from under desks all around the office!

Came to say this.

They can choose multiple other methods to keep warm that don't impact others. Hot water bottles, heated blankets, heated foot warmers, heated gloves, pants, jumper, oodie, absolutely anything other than a heater.

YANBU.

I have a heater as a reasonable adjustment and wouldn't be happy if it was removed behind my back!

Mine's an oil heater though so doesn't impact on others, just warms my immediate area up. I was still cold despite wearing six layers, a blanket and a hot water bottle, so HR got me a heater.

I'm surprised a fan heater is allowed. Oil heaters are much safer.

I did ask the facilities manager today if someone can buy an alternative such as a heated chair pad. He wasn't very helpful. I might go ahead and get one for her if anyone can just bring anything in 🤷🏼‍♀️

ETA I wouldn't get rid of it behind her back really. Not without being sure she wasn't going to be cold. I'm pretty sure it's not a reasonable adjustment though - not that I am privy to her private info but last time she joked about how she is always cold and her house has the heating on 24/7.

If you start buying stuff may end up bullying her as you are not her LM and have made her feel she needed to change her seating already

In what universe is buying someone a heated seat pad bullying!?

Not sure where you are but here it has been 5° today, hardly warming up is it?
You asked and she moved, win for both of you? But please understand, if she's a cold person you're going to need to be well clear of March and most likely April and possibly May before she loses the heater... 🤣

i am also one of those people permanently cold. I am frequently wearing my coat in the office but the difference is I focus on heating myself not the office space as a) it is easier and more economical and b) I wouldn’t expect the office to be kept at a temperature that just suited me. So as someone else also mentioned up the thread heated throws are great for this. hot water bottles are good for warming your core but can mean extremities remain cold.

Is it part of your job to buy her anything?

if its not that woiuld be the third time you acted out over her work conditions and you are both working in an office with no proper heating.

Relax, I'm not actually going to buy anything. Yesterday I was trying to think of a solution that wouldn't leave her cold but wouldn't make my working environment unbearable, whilst also complying with safety standards. The facilities manager was no help so I'm giving up.

don't give up. There is a solution.

If I'm hot flushing due to meno and someone puts a heater on I'm flinging it or leaving, if you can't work in the environment, then don't.

Move desk, floor? Wfh? Has to be other ways.

Its cheaper to give the individuals heaters than to fix the heating system. And there are 3-4 people involved in the heaters no longer complaining to the facilities manager about fixing the heating while you are 1 so s/he is on a winner.

I'm only in 2 days per week, but when I'm in I have to sit with my team. There's nowhere else I can sit unfortunately. Yes my age is also a factor, but I didn't want to play the meno card!

He said the heating is being fixed this week. I didn't even know it wasn't working! It's never been very cold in the office in my view but who am I to say.

Surely your employer is the issue here. Your workplace should be warm enough without people having to use heaters.

If she is using this while the central heating is being fixed you are completely unreasonable not to be able to deal with it for a few days.