Beat the Heat

As the UK prepares for yet another heatwave, Unite is encouraging members to get involved with its “Beat the Heat” campaign and join the call for a legal maximum working temperature.

Workers in all sectors are feeling the heat as climate breakdown supercharges extreme weather and fuels record breaking temperatures.

Bus drivers have been campaigning for improved air conditioning, construction workers are toiling through dangerous conditions and agricultural workers looking to change working patterns to cope.

It’s not much better for those working in the country’s schools, care homes and hospitals with aging buildings not able to provide a cool and safe environment for today’s heating world.

Today (11 Aug) the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed large parts of the UK under Amber heat health alerts that will last until Friday.

The Met Office describes an amber alert as something that “would represent a situation in which the expected impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service, with potential for the whole population to be at risk and where other sectors apart from health may also start to observe impacts, indicating that a coordinated response is required.”

However despite these recognised dangers to the public the UK still currently has no legal maximum temperature for working in the UK. 

High temperatures can create serious health and safety risks in the workplace. Whether working in or outdoors, excessive heat can lead to heat stress, dehydration, fatigue, reduced concentration, and even life-threatening heat stroke.

Unite and the TUC are calling for the Health and Safety Executive to urgently review and update guidance to introduce maximum workplace temperature guidelines meaning: 

Employers have a duty of care to their workforce, and the law says that during working hours the temperature in all indoor workplaces must be ‘reasonable’

But trade union reps have a vital role to play to work with employers and management to regularly review conditions and processes with management on site/location.

Unite’s Beat the Heat campaign page is full of practical guides and information to help reps negotiate a safe workplace during extreme weather, and tells you what to do if the employer won’t be reasonable.

Back the Unite call for a maximum temperature, ask your employer to adapt to the risks or the heat being too high at your workplace and work together to “Beat the Heat”.

Unite Live has been highlighting the impact that extreme weather is having on members for sometime now, and is keen to hear your stories for how Unite branches have negotiated improvements

Contact Unite Live here to tell us your story.

By Keith Hatch