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Heating and Cooling Failures

A dismissal due to a temporary disruption of air cooling or heating systems is rare. You are expected to work so long as conditions are reasonably adequate, even if these conditions may not be normal and involve minor discomforts.

To get an excused absence because of heating and cooling system failure, it must be clearly established by reasonable standards of judgment that the conditions actually prevent working and that there are no other reasonable alternatives for movement to other work locations. Such matters as the physical requirements of the positions involved and the temperatures of the work areas should are considered.

When conditions listed above are met, the Director for Human Resources Management may authorize the dismissal of employees in the Herbert C. Hoover Building, Washington, D.C. Under similar conditions, heads of operating units and their designated representatives may exercise this authority in other Commerce offices.