Hannah Spencer Calls for Bill Banning ‘Sweltering’ Workplaces

Green MP Hannah Spencer has proposed a bill to introduce a maximum working temperature in response to the “absolute chaos” wrought by successive heatwaves.

The legislation would create an independent authority to recommend an upper limit on heat in different workplaces and guidelines on putting new rules to action, the Guardian reported. It is expected to receive cross-party support. 

The UK has experienced temperatures of 34C on nine separate days this year, breaking all previous records. 

Unions including Unison and the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) have urged the government to introduce a maximum working temperature of 30C for indoor work and 27C for strenuous labour. 

A plumber and plasterer by trade, the MP for Gorton and Denton has spoken out about the “unfair” conditions tradespeople are working in, including bus drivers “sweltering” in cabins and bakers stuck in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees. 

“I had one constituent contact me about the appalling conditions he faced laying tarmac on roads in Gorton and Denton in temperatures he called unbearable,” she said. “The unsafe temperatures we’re seeing now should be a huge wake-up call.”

She added: “We’ve seen absolute chaos as a result of these recent temperatures – and such a massive human cost – yet we haven’t heard a peep from government about how they plan to protect us all.”

The Heath and Safety Executive has argued that no upper limit on temperature can be set because some workplaces, like kitchens and bakeries, heat up due to activities taking place inside. The body has urged employers to maintain “reasonable” temperatures, but announced last month that it would launch a public consultation to update guidelines.

More than 2,700 people are estimated to have died due to excessive heat in May and June this year.