Climate Change Committee chair Baroness Brown slammed the ‘woeful’ performance of successive governments in tackling the ‘present and future’ threats of climate change
A new maximum workplace temperature rule must be introduce to protect Brits from extreme heat, a government adviser has demanded.
The Climate Change Committee warns that the UK was “built for a climate that no longer exists” and says while rolling out air conditioning in schools and hospitals should be high priority, they want the government to introduce maximum temperature laws to help protect workers’ health.
Last year was Britain’s warmest on record, with drought and low water levels impacting much of the country. Four of the UK’s last five years appear in the top five warmest years, which the Met Office says is an indication of just how fast our climate is changing.
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The UK is set to welcome a heatwave within days, with temperatures across the nation expected to soar above 30C, with the warmth expected to stick around for a few days. WXCharts weather maps, that use MetDesk data, have turned a deep red showing the sweep of hot air that is entering the UK.
“It’s a very sensible thing to do because we know that productivity drops very significantly when the weather gets very hot and we know that people become more prone to making mistakes and to having accidents,” said Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee.
“It’s not rocket science – we know what to do but we haven’t yet seen a government that’s prepared to prioritise adapting to the change of climate, protecting the people and the places that we love.”
She criticised the “woeful” performance of successive governments in tackling the present and future threats facing the UK from climate change. She added: “We need to recognise that there are aspects of our British way of life which are now really under threat from climate.”
The government said it would carefully consider and respond to the committee’s advice. The CCC does not suggest a maximum temperature but points to the example of Spain, where the maximum legal working temperature indoors is 27C for sedentary work and 25C for light physical work.
Labour Party Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “We are acting to protect people and places from the impacts of climate change that are already being felt across the UK – from flooding to extreme heat and drought.
“Robust, independent science is essential and we will carefully consider the Climate Change Committee’s latest recommendations to drive further action.”
It comes after report by the Autonomy Institute said that two-thirds of the UK work force could find themselves working in heat waves above 35C by the end of the decade.
The organisation points out that despite record-breaking summers there is no law or official guidance for a maximum working temperature. It says around six million workers – especially in construction, agriculture and logistics – are already exposed to extreme heat.
It recommends ministers set a threshold of 27C working temperature for workers. This is in line with guidance from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) for those doing “strenuous work”.
The TUC has previously proposed a maximum temperature for indoor work of 30C while urging employers to attempt to reduce temperatures if they get above 24C.
Autonomy also says there should be a legal right to stop work during high heat periods and provisions in place for shelter and rest breaks for all workers.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak added: “Everyone deserves to be safe and comfortable at work. Setting a legal limit is a simple, common-sense step to protect people from dangerous conditions – especially as extreme temperatures become more frequent. It’s time the law caught up.”
The Health and Safety Executive’s website states: “There’s no law for maximum working temperature, or when it’s too hot to work, because every workplace is different. No meaningful upper limit can be imposed because in many indoor workplaces high temperatures are not seasonal but created by work activity, for example in bakeries or foundries.”
