Unions and HR united in call for maximum working temperature

The prolonged heat wave has prompted renewed calls for a maximum working
temperature by HR professionals and the union movement.

The TUC is calling for a maximum working temperature of 30 degrees C, or 27
degrees C for those doing strenuous work.

While there is a legal minimum temperature of 16 degrees C below which staff
shouldn’t have to work, there is no equivalent if it gets too hot.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, said: "There is no logic for
having a minimum work temperature but no maximum.

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"The TUC urges employers to be flexible in these tough temperatures. If
they cannot reduce the heat at work, they could relax the dress codes and allow
more breaks and more shift rotation."

HR professionals agree with the TUC. Nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of
the 230 HR professionals polled by HR Gateway believe an upper limit should be
applied, while a quarter said that it depended on the job.