The committee has called for a raft of measures to protect Britons against worsening heat, floods and droughts, including maximum temperature regulations to protect workers and air conditioning in hospitals, care homes, schools and homes of vulnerable people.
The committee is also calling for more investment in flood defences, water efficiency measures, support for farmers and protection of nature against climate impacts which, it warns, put the British way of life at risk.
Joanne Thomas – Usdaw general secretary says: “Heat stress is a real health and safety risk that can lead to more accidents and injuries. As the temperature rises, heat exhaustion starts. People begin to suffer loss of concentration, irritability, dizziness, headaches, nausea and fainting.
“Usdaw has long campaigned for the introduction of a legal maximum working temperature of 30°C, or 27°C for those doing strenuous work, with employers obliged to adopt cooling measures when the workplace temperature hits 24°C. So, we welcome the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee and look to the Government to act.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and the UK's fifth biggest with around 370,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also represents many workers in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
For Usdaw press releases visit: www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Bluesky @usdawunion.bsky.social and Twitter/X @UsdawUnion