Ordinance on Health Standards in the Office

(Air Volume)

Article 2.   The employer shall make the air volume of the rooms in which workers are regularly engaged in their work (hereinafter referred to as "office rooms"), excluding the volume occupied by facilities and the space at a height exceeding 4 m from the floor surface, 10 m³ or more per worker.

Article 3.   The employer shall make the area of windows and other openings which can be opened directly to the air at least one-twentieth of the floor space at all times except when facilities having the function to provide a sufficient ventilation are installed.

2.   The employer shall make the ratio of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in office rooms (ratio of the volume of said gases contained in the air at one atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of 25°C; hereinafter the same) fifty-millionths or less, and five thousand-millionths or less, respectively.

Article 4.   The employer shall, when the temperature of office rooms is 10°C or lower, provide heating or take other appropriate measures for temperature adjustment.

2.   The employer shall not, when air-cooling office rooms, make the temperature of said office rooms too much lower than that of the open air, except in office rooms where electronic computers, etc., are installed and operators of said computers, etc., are provided with clothes, etc., for keeping warm.

Article 5.   The employer shall, when air-conditioning equipment (equipment which purifies air, adjusts the temperature, humidity and flow rate of air and supplies air; hereinafter the same) or mechanical ventilation equipment (equipment which purifies air, adjusts the flow rate of air and supplies air; hereinafter the same), that is of the centrally controlled system type, is installed, adjust such equipment so that the air supplied to office rooms conforms to the following items:

(1)   The quantity of air borne dust (weight of air borne dust contained in 1 m³ of such air at one atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of 25°C; hereinafter the same) shall be 0.15 milligram or less.

(2)   The ratio of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in such air shall be ten- millionths or less (when it is difficult to supply air containing carbon monoxide of ten-millionths or less as the open air is contaminated, twenty- millionths or less) and one thousand-millionths or less, respectively.

2.   The employer shall take measures so that the air flowing into office rooms with the equipment of the preceding paragraph may not go to particular workers directly and continuously, and shall make the air current in office rooms 0.5 m per second or less.

3.   The employer shall, when air-conditioning equipment of the centrally controlled system is installed, make an effort to keep the temperature of office rooms 17°C or higher but 28°C or lower, and the relative humidity of office rooms 40% percent or more but 70% or less.

Article 6.   The employer shall install exhaust pipes, ventilation fans or other ventilation equipment to office rooms or places where burning appliances (excluding those which emit very small quantities of heat; hereinafter the same) are used.

2.   The employer shall, when using burning appliances, inspect such appliances for any abnormality every day.

(Work Environment Measurements, etc.)

Article 7.   The employer shall, as to the office rooms of item 5 of Article 21 of the Enforcement Order of the Industrial Safety and Health Law (Cabinet Order No. 318 of 1972), measure the following items regularly once at least every two months:

(1)   Ratio of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

(2)   Temperature of office rooms and the open air.

(3)   Relative humidity.

(1)   Date and time of measurements.

(2)   Method of measurement.

(3)   Locations where measurements were carried out.

(4)   Conditions of measurement.

(5)   Results of measurements.

(6)   Name(s) of person (persons) conducting measurements.

(7)   When corrective measures are taken on the basis of the results of measurements, an outline of such corrective measures.

(Measurement Method)

Article 8.   The measurement of the items provided in this Chapter (excluding the preceding article) which are shown in the left column of the following table shall be made using the measuring instruments as shown in the right column of the table or other measuring instruments having the capacity equal to said measuring instruments.

(Inspection, etc.)

Article 9.   The employer shall inspect mechanical ventilating equipment for any abnormality when such equipment is first used, is disassembled, remodeled or repaired, and regularly once at least every two months, record the results of such inspection and keep such record for three years.

(Luminous Intensity)

Article 10.   The employer shall make the luminous intensity of the working surface of office rooms conform to the standards shown in the right column of the following table according to the types of work shown in the left column of the said table, except those office rooms in which sensitized materials are handled, or other special work is performed.

2.   The employer shall provide offices rooms with lighting and illumination in the manner that the contrast of light and shade is not too striking and that workers may not be dazzled.

(Prevention of Noises and Vibration)

Article 11.   The employer shall take measures necessary to prevent the propagation of those sounds or vibrations which may give workers in office rooms adverse effects, for example, by providing partitions.

(Prevention of Propagation of Noises)

Article 12.   The employer shall, when five or more card punching machines, typewriters or other office machines generating noises are used simultaneously, provide an exclusive working room having a ceiling and walls with the capacity to cut off and absorb sounds to prevent noises from propagating.