A teacher hospitalised with heatstroke and hospital staff collapsing of heat exhaustion are just some of the examples of how climate change is affecting the UK workforce – and why unions say it is time to legislate for a maximum workplace temperatures.
For a “too hot to work” law to be effective, however, work places such as schools and hospitals would need to be fitted with air conditioning, or else be closed every time the temperature hit the legal maximum.
And business leaders, while accepting that heat is a problem, say “a law shutting whole sectors during heatwaves is the wrong approach”.
Shorts
There is no legal maximum temperature for indoor workplaces in the UK, with guidance setting only a minimum of 16°C, or 13°C, for physically demanding roles and asking employers to keep temperatures “reasonable”.
