Union Demands for Maximum Temperature at Work Law

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Union Demands for Maximum Temperature at Work Law
18 Jul 2022
6 min read

News Synopsis

As a red warning for extreme heat begins, a union has called for a legal limit on how hot it can be in the workplace.

The GMB union said workers should not be subjected to temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, despite forecasters predicting a record high of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in England.

On Monday and Tuesday, the Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for London, Manchester, and York. There is no law in the United Kingdom or Ireland that states that any given temperature is too hot or cold to work.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, workplaces should ideally be at least 16 degrees Celsius - or 13 degrees Celsius if the job is mostly physical (HSE).

Responding to the call for a legal maximum, an HSE spokesperson said: "There is no maximum workplace temperature because every workplace is different. Responsibility to make workplaces safe and healthy lies with employers. Workplace temperature is a hazard that comes with legal obligations for employers like other hazards."

A number of MPs recently backed a campaign for a legal upper limit of 30 degrees Celsius in most workplaces – or 27 degrees Celsius for those doing strenuous work – but the government is under no obligation to respond.

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