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Temperature and heat in the workplace

Your rights around heat in the workplace, and advice and guidance for working in high temperatures.

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Is there a maximum working temperature?

There is no formal legal maximum working temperature.

Workplace temperature is covered by the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations (WHSWR). These regulations are over 30 years old, when low temperatures in factories and industrial settings were more of a concern than heat.

However, there are guidelines for managers and workers facing high temperatures. Regulation 7 of the WHSWR states:

1) During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.

1A) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1)

(a) a workplace shall be adequately thermally insulated where it is necessary, having regard to the type of work carried out and the physical activity of the persons carrying out the work; and

(b) excessive effects of sunlight on temperature shall be avoided.

The TUC is campaigning for a legally enforceable maximum indoor workplace temperature of 30°C (27°C for strenuous work) to address the ambiguity of the existing legal framework which currently mandates a “reasonable” temperature. For more information:

What should I do if the temperature in my workpace is uncomfortably high?

If the temperature in your workplace is too hot to comfortably work, you should inform your line manager, who should take all reasonable steps to achieve a reasonably comfortable temperature. The TUC suggests these could:

  1. Providing sun protection: Prolonged sun exposure is dangerous for outdoor workers, so employers should provide sunscreen.
  2. Allowing flexible working: Giving staff the chance to come in earlier or stay later will let them avoid the stifling and unpleasant conditions of the rush hour commute. Bosses should also consider enabling staff to work from home while it’s hot.
  3. Keeping workplace buildings cool: Workplaces can be kept cooler and more bearable by taking simple steps such as opening windows during cooler parts of the day, using fans (if temperature is under 34C), moving staff away from windows or sources of heat.
  4. Climate-proofing workplaces: Preparing our buildings for increasingly hot weather, by installing ventilation, air-conditioning and energy efficiency measures.
  5. Temporarily relaxing their workplace dress codes: Encouraging staff to work in more casual clothing eg shorts and T shirt.
  6. Keeping staff comfortable: Allowing staff to take frequent breaks and providing a supply of cold drinks will all help keep workers cool.
  7. Talking and listening to staff and their union: Staff will have their own ideas about how best to cope with the excessive heat.
  8. Sensible hours and shaded areas for outdoor workers: Outside tasks should be scheduled for early morning and late afternoon, not between 11am-3pm when UV radiation levels and temperatures are highest. Employers should provide canopies/shades where possible.

Thermometers should be available at suitable locations in every part of the workplace, but do not need to be provided in each workroom.

Suitable protective clothing and rest facilities should be provided in instances where local cooling fails to give reasonable comfort.  Where practical, there should be systems of work (eg task rotation) to ensure the amount of time individual workers are exposed to uncomfortable temperatures is limited

What should I do if I feel unwell because of the heat?

If you feel unwell as a result of the workplace temperature, you should inform your line manager and go home, as long as it is safe for your to do so.

You can also report this as an incident on the University’s AIR system.