Hot weather can make work and travel unbearable, so with record temperatures forecast in England this week, what are your rights and how can you prepare? Summer in the UK usually means one thing: heat waves. These rules require employers to consider risks to workers` health and safety and to conduct a risk assessment to protect workers from exposure to reasonably foreseeable hazards. These risks include work-related violence. A risk assessment is a test: in offices or similar environments, the temperature in the workplace must be appropriate. Although there is no maximum temperature for the workplace, as set by the government, efforts have been made in the past to introduce one. The government recommends that employees talk to their bosses if they feel they can`t work because of the heat. Under these regulations, employers must report an accident to the Contact Centre in the event of an incident involving death, serious injury or three or more days away from work for an employee. Incidents involving persons that result in their direct transport to hospital should also be reported. These include violent incidents that result in physical injury. However, RIDDOR does not cover verbal threats and abuse. A maximum workplace temperature may not have been legalised in the UK, but there are still some things you can do if you think your workplace has become too hot to work comfortably.

It`s natural to want to wear less in stuffy conditions, but you should sing Nelly`s summer anthem, Hot in Herre, instead of risking ignoring the dress code without permission. Employers can tell employees to dress a certain way at work, regardless of the weather. This may be written in your contract or employee handbook, or may have been specified when you take the position. High UV exposure in clear summer skies means that workers outdoors have a much higher risk of developing skin cancer. «Simply allowing more breaks and providing sunscreen and protective clothing such as hats with neck covers can help reduce this risk,» says Mann. Indoor temperatures in the workplace are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which require employers to provide an «adequate» temperature in the workplace. The heatwave is expected to continue over the weekend and next, with experts predicting that Monday (July 18) and Tuesday (July 19) will be particularly hot. Employers must comply with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, including: The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers also recommends different working temperatures for those doing different jobs. The Code of Conduct does not include recommended maximum temperatures due to differences between working environments such as offices and foundries.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that it is still possible to operate safely at high temperatures, provided proper controls are in place. She added: «High UV exposure also means that outdoor workers have a much higher risk of developing skin cancer. Simply allowing more breaks and providing sunscreen and protective clothing such as hats with neck covers can help reduce this risk. In the end, there must be a legal maximum working temperature, just as we have a legal minimum working temperature. And that`s in the employer`s interest – workers who overheat won`t be at their best. «When people work outside, it is the employer`s responsibility to introduce breaks for them and encourage them to drink regularly. These are the air temperature, the temperature of the radiation, the speed of the air, the humidity, the clothes they wear and the average speed at which they work. If you have five or more employees, you must document the key findings of your risk assessment and any groups of employees it has identified as particularly vulnerable. In addition, employers are required to appoint qualified individuals, establish emergency procedures, provide information to employees, and work with employers who share the same workplace.

According to the above provisions, employers are required by law to consult all designated representatives in their workplace. In 2006, the Congress of Trade Unions (TUC) issued a briefing note outlining the temperatures it believed should be maintained in various workplaces for the health and safety of workers. But how hot does it have to be before employees are sent home by their employers? There are six basic factors that generally cause discomfort. Employees should talk to their employer if the workplace temperature is not comfortable. Calls to introduce a legal maximum temperature for work in the UK amid a record-breaking heatwave would not solve the real problem, according to a legal expert. Employers are required by law to ensure that the temperature in the workplace is «appropriate» as described in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. She added: «In my view, the requirement to provide an `adequate` temperature and the absence of a maximum value rightly oblige the employer to carry out an adequate and sufficient risk assessment. This allows full flexibility in taking into account the type of work performed, the environment, the type of workforce and other factors such as extreme weather conditions. The Act imposes a legal duty on employers to ensure, to the extent possible, the health, safety and well-being of workers and to ensure that workers and others are protected. Some workers will be in an office, while others will be outside and still others will work from home. However, the government has indicated its minimum recommended temperatures for workers in the workplace. Homeworkers can also purchase equipment such as a fan through their company`s cost system in certain circumstances if the temperature regularly exceeds what is reasonable.

By law, you are required to ensure that any potential risk of workplace violence is eliminated or controlled.