Guide to working in hot temperatures
Heatwaves are becoming more common in the UK which can lead to workplaces struggling to keep the temperature at a comfortable level for their employees. There is no law for maximum working temperature, or when it's too hot to work, because every workplace is different.
13.07.26
By Alan Boswell Group
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.
However, employers must stick to health and safety at work law, including:
Keeping the temperature at a comfortable level
Providing clean and fresh air
How to protect workers
There are practical steps you can take to protect workers in high or low temperatures.
Indoor workplaces
You should provide:
A reasonable working temperature in workrooms - usually at least 16°C, or 13°C for strenuous work
Local heating or cooling (using fans, opening windows, using radiators) where comfortable temperature cannot be maintained throughout each workroom, such as in hot or cold manufacturing processes
Rest facilities where necessary, e.g. for hot work or warm clothing in cold stores
Heating systems which do not give off dangerous or offensive levels of fume into the workplace
Outdoor working
When working outdoors, the weather can have a serious impact on a worker’s health if the risks have not been properly managed.
This impact may be immediate or occur over a longer time, leading to conditions like skin cancer. The weather can also affect a worker’s ability to keep safe, for example when handling machinery. There are simple actions you can take to protect people working outdoors.
Hot environments
Reschedule work to cooler times of the day
Provide more frequent rest breaks and introduce shading to rest areas
Provide free access to cool drinking water
Introduce shading in areas where people are working
Encourage workers to remove personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss
Make sure workers can recognise the early symptoms of heat stress
Working in the sun
Too much sunlight can cause skin damage including sunburn, blistering, and skin ageing. In the long term, it can lead to an increased risk or skin cancer.
If your job involves extreme temperatures
In some workplaces extreme temperatures can be created by work activity, such as some manufacturing processes. These temperatures can lead to serious health effects if not managed effectively.
When people are too hot
To help ensure people are comfortable in warm conditions:
Provide fans such as desk, pedestal, or ceiling-mounted ones
Provide air-cooling or air-conditioning and adequate ventilation
Ensure windows can be opened to keep air circulating
Shade employees from direct sunlight with blinds or by using reflective film on windows
Position workstations away from direct sunlight or sources of heat
Place insulation materials around hot plants and pipes
Provide cold water dispensers (water is better than caffeine or carbonated drinks)
You can also change work arrangements to avoid people getting too hot:
Introduce flexible working patterns, such as job rotation, or moving workers to cooler parts of the building where possible
Allow enough breaks to allow workers to get cold drinks or cool down
Relax formal dress codes, but make sure personal protective equipment is used if required
PPE and workplace temperature
Personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces the body’s ability to evaporate sweat. If the PPE is awkward to wear, or heavy, it may contribute to an increase in body heat.
Wearing PPE in warm/hot temperatures with high work rates may increase the risk of heat stress.
How to keep workers safe wearing PPE
Encourage workers to remove PPE immediately after it is needed. This will prevent any heat retained in their clothing from continuing to hear them. Where necessary, they should allow it to dry out, or replace it, before using PPE again.
PPE may prevent workers removing clothing in case it exposes them to the hazard it is protecting them from.
Where PPE is required it can cause heat stress due to its weight and the face that it prevents sweat evaporating from the skin. In these situations, employers should:
Allow slower work rates
Rotate staff our of this environment on a more frequent basis
Allow longer recovery times
Provide facilities for PPE to be dried so it can be worn again
Consider scheduling work to cooler times of the day
Review your risk assessment to see if automated or alternative systems of work can be introduces
Re-evaluate your equipment as newer PPE may be lighter and provide improved levels of protection and operator comfort
Make sure people continue wearing PPE correctly despite workplace temperatures. For example, they should not endanger themselves by undoing fasteners to increase air movement into clothing.
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