MPs press for work temperature limits

MPs turned up the heat on ministers yesterday when they called for a maximum workplace temperature on the hottest day of the year so far.

As outdoor temperatures soared as high as 34°C, Labour MP Ian Mearns said workplaces were becoming “completely and utterly intolerable.” But he offered a ray of hope in an early day motion proposing a statutory maximum workplace temperature of 30°C or 27°C for those doing strenuous work. “In temperatures like this, it means that normal cooling systems just can’t cope,” he told the Morning Star. “In fact, it could be really serious to their health because it puts huge pressure on people just to keep cool.”

And Mr Mearns, who chairs the influential business committee of back-bench MPs, warned the baking heat would disproportionately affect staff working with machinery. “I chair the bakers’ union group in Parliament and this is something they’re particularly keen on,” he said. “Bakers obviously work in very warm conditions. “We know we’re not the hottest country in the world and the temperatures that we have at the moment are not constant, even in the summer months, but that doesn’t mean to say that people aren’t desperately uncomfortable.”

Currently, bosses are recommended to ensure a minimum workplace temperature of 16°C, or 13°C for work requiring rigorous physical effort. However, although the law requires “reasonable” temperatures, there is no specified maximum at present.
Mr Mearns said that MPs had already been in discussions with ministers. The lack of a maximum temperature in the workplace becomes a hot topic whenever a heatwave hits Britain.

On Monday, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady issued a renewed call for bosses to allow staff to strip off in a “relaxation” of dress codes. “Working in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous,” she said. “Employers should relax dress code rules temporarily and ensure staff doing outside work are protected. While shorts and vest tops may not be appropriate attire for all, nobody should be made to wilt in the heat for the sake of keeping up appearances.”