Workplace Warning As UK Faces Summer Heat Health Alert

The Met office has issued the first Heat Health Watch warning this summer as it confirmed that temperatures at London Heathrow recently rose to 30°C, making yesterday the hottest day of the year so far.

Said Head of Health Forecasting at the Met Office, Wayne Elliott: "The last time a heat-health warning was issued was in the hot summer of 2006."

The Heat-Health Watch is currently at level two, but with the probability of heatwave conditions at 70%, the Met office predicts this to increase to level three during the course of the week.

Workplace temperatures are governed by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which lay down requirements for most aspects of the working environment. 

Regulation 7, which deals specifically with the temperatures of indoor workplaces, states that the “temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable,” and though the associated Code of Practice sets out a minimum temperature, it does not stipulate how high temperatures can soar before a worker has a legal complaint.

Earlier this year in a research document, entitled Changing Work in a Changing Climate, the TUC called for a maximum upper temperature limit. In the past, concerns over workers’ health in overheated workplaces has let to industrial action.  

Advises Simon Toseland, Head of Health and Safety at Workplace Law: “The problems workers face in high temperatures, include heat stress and exhaustion, headaches, increased heart rate and nausea. 

“As long as employers can show they are making reasonable adjustments, like providing cold water and allowing for extended breaks, they are fine from a legislative point of view.” 

He adds: “Managers should make sure people have access to drinking water and ensure people can have more regular breaks if they need them.” 

The heatwave is predicted to last all week, though the Met office says the build up of heat and humidity will set off some thunderstorms in parts of the UK. 

Said Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, Martin Young: "Temperatures are likely to build through the first part of this week, with a 60% chance of reaching 33 °C by midweek, before becoming less hot by the weekend". 

Even though England will see the highest temperatures, all of the UK will have some very warm weather, with the continuing chance of thunderstorms in a few places leading to high rainfall totals locally.  

There will be a full report on how employers can deal with a summer heatwave in the July issue of Workplace Law magazine, published early next week.

Source: workplacelaw.net