Does the UK heatwave make it too hot to work? Employer rules explained
Scotland was hit with its hottest day of the year yesterday, with temperatures soaring to 28.9 degrees at the shores of Loch Ness in Drumnadrochit. Many other places across the country weren't far behind this record high, with temperatures reaching 28.7 degrees in Aberdeenshire, 28.4 degrees in Edinburgh and 27.3 degrees in Glasgow.
With these temperatures way above the average for this time of year, with June normally recording a high of 17 degrees, many of us tried to make the most of the weather by soaking up as much of the sun as possible.
However, with these record highs falling on a Friday, many Scots still needed to go about their daily routine and go to work. While jobs can range from manual labour to office work, many of us may be wondering if there is a point the mercury needs to reach before Brits can be excused from work?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Currently there is no maximum temperature specified in law that can stop people from having to work, reports the Mirror. This is due to some jobs always having to work in hot conditions, such as those working in glass works.
However, this doesn't mean that employers can force their staff to work in uncomfortable conditions, as they still have to make sure that the workplace is a safe environment.
William Walsh, a partner in the employment team at law firm DMH Stallard, said: "The legal responsibilities in respect of health and safety in the workplace still apply and this means carrying out a risk assessment and ensuring that employees work in temperatures that are reasonable and do not place their health and safety at risk.
"The nature of the work will be relevant, as will factors such as whether employees need to wear protective clothing as part of their job that may make it harder still for employees to keep cool."
For those who work in an office space, this could mean altering specific dress codes. For example, taking away the requirement to wear a tie, long trousers and shirts while the temperature rises.
Additionally, the same healthy and safety obligations apply for people who work from home.
William said: "The risks should be much lower, as home workers are unlikely to be undertaking physical tasks and, even if they were told to stop working, those individuals would still be in their same home environment.
"But the issue should not be discounted altogether. If, for example, it was known that an employee was working from their home office set up in a small box room up in a loft conversion, where it could get uncomfortably hot, they should be encouraged to move."
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However, some people are wanting to make changes to the law. For example, the TUC worker's union wants to make it illegal to keep people at work indoors if the temperatures soar to over 30 degrees. They also want protection put in place for people who work outside or drive for a living.
Additionally,the union also thinks workers should be allowed to take regular breaks to help keep them cool when the office is too warm.
On the flip side, while there isn't a maximum working temperature, there is a recommended minimum temperature for a work place to stand by. However, it should be noted that this also isn't set in law.
The minimum recommended temperature is said to be 16 degrees, with it slightly lower at 13 degrees for those who take part in physical labour.
In Britain, the Health and Safety Executive provides the regulatory framework for workplace health and safety.
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