As the UK experiences increasingly frequent periods of hot weather, employers should recognise that excessive heat presents a genuine workplace health and safety risk. While many people enjoy warmer conditions, working in high temperatures can affect concentration, productivity and, more importantly, employee health.
Whether employees work in an office, warehouse, manufacturing environment or outdoors, employers have a legal duty to assess the risks and implement suitable control measures to keep staff safe.
A common misconception is that there is a legal maximum workplace temperature in the UK. In reality, there is currently no maximum legal working temperature because every workplace presents different risks.
However, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, employers have a duty to:
Employers should consider not only the air temperature but also humidity, physical workload, ventilation, exposure to direct sunlight, and the clothing or PPE employees are required to wear.
Hot working conditions can have a significant impact on both health and safety. Common risks include:
Signs of dehydration include thirst, dry mouth, dark coloured urine, headache, dizziness and fatigue.
Signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, cool pale skin, muscle cramps, weakness, nausea, fast heartbeat and feeling faint. Anyone showing these symptoms should be moved to a cool area, encouraged to drink water and monitored.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Symptoms include confusion, loss of consciousness, hot dry skin, very high body temperature and seizures. Call 999 immediately while cooling the person.
Employers should:
Outdoor workers face additional risks including heat stress, dehydration, sunburn, skin cancer from UV exposure, and fatigue.
Employers should provide shaded rest areas, encourage hydration, schedule strenuous work for cooler times of the day, rotate physically demanding work, provide suitable sun protection and UV protective clothing where appropriate, and monitor weather forecasts.
Hot weather should never be dismissed as simply an inconvenience. If appropriate controls are not in place, high temperatures can significantly increase the risk of accidents and heat-related illness.
A proactive approach, supported by suitable risk assessments, employee consultation and sensible control measures, will help organisations protect their workforce while maintaining productivity during periods of warm weather.
To find out more or to request support on managing high temperatures in your workplace, please get in touch with our team.
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