AN120098 – Butter, Cheese & Other Dairy Products (State) Award

11. WORKING IN COLD TEMPERATURES

11.1 Other than Freezing Room Employees —

11.1.1 Any employee working in an area at an artificially reduced temperature of less than two degrees Celsius will be paid (per hour or part thereof) an amount as set out in Item 20 of Table 2.

11.1.2 Any employee working in an area at an artificially reduced temperature of less than minus one degree Celsius will be paid (per hour or part thereof) an amount as set out in Item 21 of Table 2.

11.1.3 If the temperature goes below minus eighteen degrees Celsius after an hour of duty the employee will be entitled to refuse to work in the room unless the employee is classified as a freezing room employee under the following conditions.

11.2 Freezing Room Employees —

11.2.1 Each employee will have been medically selected as fit to work in extremely cold conditions.

11.2.2 The employer will make available free of charge for the use of each employee, freezer boots, coats, caps and gloves, including inner gloves if required.

11.2.3 Any employee working in an area at an artificially reduced temperature of less than minus sixteen degrees Celsius will be paid (per hour or part thereof) an amount as set out in Item 22 of Table 2.

11.2.4 Any employee working in an area at an artificially reduced temperature of less than minus twenty degrees Celsius will be paid (per hour or part thereof) an amount as set out in Item 23 of Table 2.

11.2.5 Any employee working in an area at an artificially reduced temperature of less than minus thirty degrees Celsius will be paid (per hour or part thereof) an amount as set out in Item 24 of Table 2.

11.2.6 Employees required to work in temperatures of less than minus twenty degrees Celsius will be allowed reasonable breaks from such work outside the freezing chamber.

11.3 General

11.3.1 The allowances provided in this Clause will not apply unless the temperature remains at the prescribed level for at least one hour after commencing work.

11.3.2 Time worked which on any day is less than thirty minutes in the aggregate will be disregarded.

11.3.3 An employee who is overheated through working outside will be allowed time to cool off before being required to work in a temperature artificially reduced below two degrees Celsius.

11.3.4 For the purpose of this Clause the temperature of a room will be the temperature of the coldest part of such room

11.3.5 An employer and the Union may agree to incorporate cold temperature allowances in the weekly rate for employees, regard being paid to the time actually spent in freezing rooms, in lieu of the specific payments by this Clause.

11.3.6 The amounts provided by this Clause each stand alone and are not cumulative.

11.4 Method of Measuring Temperature

The method of measuring artificially reduced temperatures will be to place a thermometer at a height of 1.2 metres in the centre of the work area at least one hour after starting work