 Home Health and Safety Health and Safety Toolkit
Is It Too Hot Where You Work? (Poster R7) A4
22 April 2009
Keep your cool! Tackling heat stress at work
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The law says your employer must maintain a reasonable temperature in your workplace.*
Usdaw Health and Safety Reps have legal powers to
investigate potential hazards and take up issues with
management to make sure they comply with the law.
There should be enough thermometers
in the building for you to determine the
temperature where you work.
The law doesn’t specify a maximum
reasonable temperature – but research
shows that high temperatures can cause
health problems.
Loss of concentration and accident rates
increase at temperatures above 25°C. Heat
stress and sweating can cause headaches,
nausea, fainting and skin rashes.
Prolonged exposure to high temperatures
causes heat stroke which can be fatal.
If it is too hot where you
work there are things your
employer can do
- Insulate or remove sources of heat.
- Improve ventilation to extract hot
air/steam and draw in cooler fresh air.
- Install air conditioning equipment
to reduce temperatures.
- As temporary measures (for
example, in spells of hot weather)
fans, portable air conditioning units,
relaxing strict dress codes and
providing cool drinks can all help.
If you have a problem and need help and advice
or want to join the Union, contact your Usdaw rep
or ring the Usdaw helpline: 0845 6060640 (calls charged at local rate).
* Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare)
Regulations 1992, Reg. 7.
Is It Too Hot Where You Work? (Poster R7) was correct at date of publication April 2009.
Download File:
Keep your cool! Tackling heat stress at work [ pdf ]
Contact Details
Health and Safety section
Ph: 0161 249 2441
Fax: 0161 249 2475
Email: healthandsafety@usdaw.org.uk
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