Runcorn MP urges maximum working temperature as UK bakes

The Mercury is expected to soar to higher than 40ºC in parts of the country today, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK - with the Met Office having introduced the highest level ‘red’ warning which indicates a risk to life.

There is no current law for minimum or maximum working temperatures, just guidance from the Health and Safety Executive suggesting a minimum 16ºC, or 13ºC if employees are doing physical work. But there is no advice on the upper limit.

Speaking in the Commons, Mike Amesbury MP, whose Weaver Vale constituency covers parts of East Runcorn, said: “If maximum indoor temperatures are good enough for workers in the United States, Germany and Spain, why not have those protections for British workers?”

But Government minister Kit Malthouse, replied saying that employers already had an obligation to make sure temperatures at work are maintained at a reasonable level for the circumstances.

He added: "That will vary from workplace to workplace, as I am sure the honourable gentleman will know as a working man.

"There is a lot we can improve in our work and employment regulation but, at the moment, the law is pretty specific about where responsibility should lie."

Writing on Facebook, Mr Amesbury said he was backing a Trades Union Congress (TUC) campaign for the government to set a maximum working temperature.

He said: “Under its proposals, employers would have to reduce temperatures if they rose above 24ºC, with an obligation to provide sun protection and water.
"There would be an absolute maximum indoor temperature set at 30ºC (or 27ºC for those doing strenuous jobs) to indicate when work should stop.”

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."