Employers urged to cool down their staff
1/7/2009
With a heatwave warning in place this week for parts of the UK, and temperatures predicted to soar as high as 32c, URTU is calling on employers to relax dress codes and cool down their wilting employees.
It is hoped that most employers will adopt a more relaxed approach to dress codes - if only for the hottest days of the summer - and help make work more bearable for staff. And with our summers predicted to get hotter and drier over the coming years as a result of climate change, keeping staff cool is going to be of increasing concern for employers.
Although the law states that staff should work in a reasonable temperature, there is no legal maximum. Employees are not expected to work when the temperature drops below 16c (or 13c if they are do physically demanding work), but there are no similar restrictions for when the workplace becomes too hot. The TUC, which URTU is an affiliated member, would like to see the law changed so there is an absolute indoor maximum of 30c, with employers forced to introduce cooling measures when the temperature hits 24c.
