Time to change the law!

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have published a new joint report and guidance highlighting the growing global health challenges posed by extreme heat on workers.

The report comes at a time when the UK has experienced four heatwaves in one summer and unions, including Unite, have been renewing calls for a maximum working temperature for workers to be made law.

Unite has recently launched a new publication, “Workers in the eye of the storm” aimed at safeguarding workers during extreme weather events.

The WHO report says that, with climate change driving more frequent and intense heatwaves, many workers who are regularly exposed to dangerous heat conditions are already feeling the health impacts of rising temperatures, in particular, manual workers in sectors such as agriculture, construction and fisheries. 

Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care said, “Heat stress is already harming the health and livelihoods of billions of workers, especially in the most vulnerable communities.

“This new guidance offers practical, evidence-based solutions to protect lives, reduce inequality, and build more resilient workforces in a warming world.”

The new report and technical guidance, entitled “Climate change and workplace heat stress” draws on five decades of research and evidence, highlighting that the health and productivity of workers are severely impacted by rising temperatures. WMO reports that 2024 was the hottest year on record. 

Daytime temperatures of more than 40°C and even above 50°C are becoming increasingly common, a clear indication that immediate action is needed to address the worsening impact of heat stress on workers worldwide.

The report makes a number of recommendations, including the development of occupational heat-health policies that “consider local weather patterns, specific jobs, and worker vulnerabilities” and improved education amongst  employers and workers “to recognize and properly treat heat stress symptoms, which are often misdiagnosed”.

Another recommendation highlighted the need to engage all stakeholders including workers and trade unions, “in the co-creation of heat-health strategies that are locally relevant and widely supported.”

Unite national health and safety adviser Rob Miguel has previously said: “Unite is pressing for a maximum temperature for safe working of 27 degrees Celsius for strenuous jobs and 30 degrees Celsius for sedentary jobs.

“As the climate changes, it is vital that health and safety law is updated in line with the serious challenges this presents for workers. We urge the government to get a move on with this so that there can be no ambiguities in the workplace. 

The maximum safe working temperature that Unite is calling for is  “27 degrees Celsius for strenuous jobs and 30 degrees Celsius for sedentary jobs”, and the union has published Health and Safety guidance for workplace reps.

Unite’s health and safety reps advice for employers and workers is that:

Throughout the summer Unite had been supporting a TUC “Inspections Week of Action on Workplace Temperatures” campaign – and more than a thousand union health and safety reps across Britain signed up to take part.

Earlier this month the TUC published findings from this week of action, which can be found here.

Countries across Europe are starting to take the threat to workers’ health seriously and in July Italy passed an emergency decree to allow workers to stop the job during the hottest part of the day following agreement between employers and trade unions.

WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett added, “Occupational heat stress has become a global societal challenge, which is no longer confined to countries located close to the equator – as highlighted by the recent heatwave in Europe.

“Protection of workers from extreme heat is not just a health imperative but an economic necessity.”

By Keith Hatch