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  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
Keep your cool! Tackling heat stress at work

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 ]

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