The DWP this week announced a new workplace safety reviewNeil Shaw Assistant Editor (Money and Lifestyle)10:26, 10 Jul 2026Updated 11:17, 10 Jul 2026A total of 20,000 people have backed a call for a new law banning employers from forcing people to endure high temperatures at work. The UK currently has minimum temperatures a workplace needs to maintain in order to stay open - but no maximum.‌The Department for Work and Pensions this week said there could be new legislation. DWP Minister Sir Stephen Timms said that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is considering changes to the rules, with news coming later this year. He said: "The HSE is Great Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. There is a legal duty for employers to fully assess the risks to workers from extreme heat.‌"HSE provides guidance for employers to manage the risk to workers, including from extreme heat. HSE issued a press release on Friday, June 19, to raise awareness of the risks to workers, to help workplaces in the current hot weather. This year, HSE will also be launching a public consultation on proposed changes to the Approved Code of Practice for the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, including those relating to workplace temperature."‌By Friday morning, a A Change.org petition calling for a legal maximum working temperature had gained more than 20,000 signatures in 24 hours.Kerry Cooper from Shrewsbury started the petition, Pass a law for safe working temperatures, after struggling to cope at work during hot weather. Kerry has multiple health conditions that affect how her body handles heat, and says she can't work for more than half an hour on a hot day before she's struggling. She said her employer's response has been 'a couple of tower fans pushing warm air around the room'.‌Her petition has now been signed by more than 21,000 people, the vast majority of them in the last day, as the current heatwave takes hold. It has already dwarfed an equivalent petition on the UK Parliament's petitions site, which has reached 6,500 signatures since December.There is a legal minimum indoor working temperature in the UK (16C, or 13C for strenuous work), but no legal maximum. Spain already caps indoor working temperatures at 27C for desk-based work and 25C for physical work.‌The petition names the HSE and Pat McFadden, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, as its decision-makers. The push comes in the same week Europe's largest trade unions called for the right to stop work when temperatures pass 30°C, and follows separate calls from doctors for a legal maximum working temperature to protect NHS staff.Supporters have left dozens of comments, backing Kerry's call. James said: "In my factory, I'm running a machine set at 195C, handballing 25kg, walking 20k steps a day, no windows, no aircon, no fans, and we don't even have access to clean drinking water."‌Ocean added: "I work in warehouse, it’s like a literal greenhouse in there. The fans are mostly broke, I’m dizzy and feel sick, and my performance is bad because of it and the only advice they give is to drink warm water."Karen wrote: "I work in a care home, we feel the effect of the heat, its a very busy environment for all carers but even worse for the residents as some have serious health problems."Chris said: "I work for British Gas out in the field. Even with the red weather warning, it was business as usual, despite other companies putting their engineers on emergency work or reduced workload. Today we had a team meeting, and I was sent home because I was wearing shorts."Article continues belowSamantha added: "I work in a factory and am on 2pm-10pm shift, its 33.2° in here. Definitely not comfortable or safe."