Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is backing calls for a maximum workplace temperature as pressure grows on the government to protect workers from the impact of repeated heatwaves across the UK.
The extreme heat, driven by the climate crisis, has left people struggling to cope as temperatures in some workplaces climb above 40C, causing thousands of schools to close, and hospital and transport systems to break down.
The June heatwave alone killed an estimated 440 people a day in the UK during its three-day peak.
The UK currently has health and safety guidance on minimum workplace temperatures but nothing for maximums, despite rising summer heat caused by the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis.
Trade unions and campaigners have repeatedly called for a maximum indoor work temperature, with Unison and the Trades Union Congress demanding a maximum indoor work temperature of 30C, or 27C for strenuous work.
In May, a report from the Climate Change Committee, which advises the government, included a recommendation to set maximum work temperature regulations to address the increasing risks posed to “workers’ safety and incentivise the deployment of the necessary cooling”.
At the weekend the pressure on the government grew when Green party MP Hannah Spencer said she was planning to introduce a bill in parliament that would pave the way for a workplace heat limit.
Now a spokesperson for Khan, one of Labour’s most senior elected officials, has said he backed the idea, saying extreme heat was “becoming a growing reality” for people in the UK’s capital city, which has been one of the worst hit places during this summer’s heatwaves.
Khan has launched an initiative to help the capital adapt to increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves. His spokesperson added that, although he did not have the power to introduce enforceable maximum temperatures, he supported the idea.
Last week the Guardian revealed the impact of repeated heatwaves on schools with teachers describing how they have been desperately trying to keep children safe, covering younger pupils in wet paper towels as they lie on the floor, while older students have been given trays of water under their desks to put their feet in.
Doctors have also set out the disastrous impact extreme heat is having on the NHS in England, with radiotherapy machines and MRI scanners failing, critical IT systems stalling and cooling units that serve entire hospitals breaking down.
The Green party mayor of Hackney Zoë Garbett said supporting workers and families hit by extreme heat was a matter of social justice as well as climate adaptation.
“The climate crisis does not affect everyone equally, and the recent heatwaves have made that crystal clear.” She said too often headteachers in Hackney have faced a no-win decision – stay open, exposing staff and pupils to dangerous levels of heat, or close, knowing that many children do not have a better alternative at home
“Urgent investment from the government in more resilient schools and public buildings isn’t just an issue of the climate crisis, it’s a matter of basic social justice,” said Garbett. “Councils are ready to tackle the crisis and take on a statutory duty to lead the response, but we need the powers and – more importantly – proper funding to take action.”
A government spokesperson said it had “no plans to introduce a mandatory maximum workplace temperature,” adding: “The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has shared guidance for employers to plan for and support those working in extreme heat to keep workers healthy and safe.”
However, they said the HSE would launch a public consultation on health and safety in the workplace this year that will look at temperature thresholds alongside a range of other issues.