Retail workers' union Usdaw has urged employers to take immediate action to protect staff during the current heatwave and renewed its call for the introduction of a legal maximum workplace temperature.
The intervention comes as the Met Office issued amber and red weather warnings covering parts of Southern England, the Midlands, the North West and Yorkshire, with temperatures expected to remain exceptionally high throughout the week.
Usdaw warned that rising temperatures pose serious health and safety risks for workers, particularly those in retail, distribution, manufacturing and other sectors where employees may be required to spend long periods in hot working environments.
The union is also backing recent recommendations from the Climate Change Committee, which called for stronger measures to protect people from the growing impact of extreme weather linked to climate change. Among its recommendations was the introduction of maximum workplace temperature regulations.
Under current health and safety legislation, employers must ensure workplaces are maintained at a reasonable temperature, and there is a legal minimum temperature for indoor work. However, there is currently no statutory maximum temperature for most workplaces in the UK.
Usdaw General Secretary Joanne Thomas said heat stress should be treated as a significant workplace safety issue.
“Heat stress is a real health and safety risk that can lead to more accidents and injuries.”
Joanne Thomas, Usdaw General Secretary
“As the temperature rises, heat exhaustion starts. People begin to suffer loss of concentration, irritability, dizziness, headaches, nausea and fainting.”
Joanne Thomas, Usdaw General Secretary
Thomas called on employers to work closely with trade union health and safety representatives to ensure adequate protections are put in place, including access to drinking water, cooling measures and appropriate rest facilities.
“Despite the absence of legislation, we are calling on employers to take measures to keep workers safe and work with trade union health and safety reps to provide substantial measures to mitigate the risks. No-one should have to work in extreme and dangerous conditions.”
Joanne Thomas, Usdaw General Secretary
Usdaw has long campaigned for a legal maximum workplace temperature of 30°C, or 27°C for workers undertaking physically demanding tasks. The union also argues that employers should be required to implement cooling measures once workplace temperatures reach 24°C.
The call comes amid growing concern about the impact of climate change on working conditions across the UK. Recent years have seen record-breaking summer temperatures, prompting renewed debate about whether existing workplace regulations remain fit for purpose.
Thomas said the Climate Change Committee's recommendations represented an important step forward and urged ministers to consider legislative change.
“Workers deserve a legal right to be protected from the heat and as the world hurtles towards 1.5 degrees of warming, this issue is only going to become more of an urgent priority.”
Joanne Thomas, Usdaw General Secretary
The debate over workplace temperatures has gained increasing attention in recent years, particularly in sectors such as retail, warehousing, logistics and manufacturing, where employees may have limited control over their working environment.
As Britain experiences another period of extreme heat, unions, employers and policymakers are likely to face growing pressure to consider whether additional protections are needed to safeguard workers from the health risks associated with rising temperatures.
