Some don’t like it hot

Trade union reps have been asked about problems relating to heat at work as part of an ongoing Health and Safety Executive (HSE) review of the law relating to limits on workplace temperatures.

Last month the TUC circulated an HSE questionnaire to help it gather evidence as to whether high temperatures at work are a problem in particular sectors or across the board. It hopes that the responses will also assist in identifying practical and effective steps that can be taken to tackle the issue.

Under current legislation there is no clear legal maximum workplace temperature. Instead Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 sets out that the “temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable during working hours.”

The TUC has called for the introduction of a new upper limit on workplace temperature so that employers would be forced to act when the temperature inside reaches 24°C. It would mean that staff could be sent home and their employers prosecuted if temperatures at work hit 30°C (or 27°C for those engaged in physically demanding work).

Its case for a legally enforceable maximum temperature is set out at www.tuc.org.uk/extras/maxtemp2009.pdf