Working in the Heatwave – How hot is too hot?
Working in the Heatwave – How hot is too hot?
High temperatures in the workplace puts the onus on employers
As the latest summer heatwave intensifies, temperatures in the City are reaching their highest point so far this year. At 30 degrees and rising, most employees will be thankful to reach their (hopefully) air-conditioned office after a difficult commute in the heat.
But at what point does it become too hot to work? In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive has issued guidelines around acceptable temperatures at work – but only at the lower end of the scale. Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, a legal obligation is placed on employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. This is defined as a minimum of 16 degrees Celsius in a normal office environment, and 13 degrees Celsius in an environment which requires ‘rigorous physical effort’.
There is, however, no upper limit defined and in any case the specific lower limits are for guidance only - the legal duty to determine what constitutes reasonable comfort in each instance lies with the employer.
The Workplace Regulations are complemented by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to make a suitable assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees (such as high temperature in the workplace) and take necessary action to resolve.
Employers should therefore consult with employees or their representatives to establish sensible means to cope with high temperatures if it is deemed to be a risk to employee health and safety.