Legal Maximum Working Temperature?

Britain's most recent heatwave has resurrected the idea of having a legal maximum working temperature. Where work is performed in buildings without air conditioning, the heat can cause health issues, including dizziness, fainting and vomiting. Higher temperatures also put those with serious health concerns (for example, cardiac, kidney and respiratory diseases) at greater risk.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 state that employers must maintain a reasonable temperature in the workplace. The minimum temperature, whilst not explicitly stated in the regulations, is widely agreed to be 16°C (or 13°C where work requires considerable physical activity); however, currently there is no maximum temperature. Having no maximum working temperature may have been fine previously, but with heatwaves on the increase, more and more employers are facing complaints from staff in relation to the heat. In light of this, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is now