With the UK experiencing more frequent extremes in temperature – both hot and cold – it’s worth brushing up on what the law says about working conditions, and what you can do to keep your team comfortable and safe.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides a useful guide that can help you make sure you’re compliant with the law.
Working indoors
You might be surprised to learn there’s no legal upper limit when it comes to how hot a workplace can be. That’s because some working environments – like bakeries or foundries – naturally reach high temperatures due to the nature of the job.
However, that doesn’t mean employers can ignore the heat. Under health and safety law, you must keep workplace temperatures at a comfortable level and provide clean and fresh air.
As regards minimum temperatures the rules are a little clearer. The temperature should be at least 16°C, however if the work involves ‘rigorous physical effort,’ it can be as low as 13°C.
In some sectors, extreme temperatures are part of the job. If this applies to your business, then you would need to consider things like heat stress, dehydration or cold stress.
Working outdoors
Working outdoors in hot (or cold) environments can quickly affect your employees’ health, not just in the short term but long-term. For example, if your workers are exposed to the sun for long periods this could lead to developing conditions such as skin cancer. The weather can also affect an employee’s ability to handle machinery or other tasks safely. It’s therefore important to make sure you have measures in place to protect those who may be working outdoors.
There may be no fixed maximum temperature at work, but the key principle is that employees should not be working in conditions that put their health at risk. If your team is too hot or cold, it’s worth reviewing what you can do to help. Sometimes, just making a few small adjustments can make a real difference both to morale and motivation but also to long term health and wellbeing.
