BLOG: How to keep your employees comfortable during hot weather
In the middle of a very hot summer in the UK, I thought I would look at ways to keep you and your employees comfortable during hot weather and guard against any mishaps, illness or worst still, a legal claim, writes Sam Green.
In hot weather, are you doing all you can to protect your employees from the hazards of working in heat?
If not, you could be subject to a legal claim which you have no chance of winning unless you have done a hot weather risk assessment
The hazards associated with hot weather are more than you think.
Protect
So, how can you protect people from harm?
And crucially, how can you protect your business legally to make sure you are complying with the relevant laws?
Well, did you know that in the UK, there is no legal maximum working temperature – there is only ‘guidance’ and that is based on a ‘reasonable’ temperature.
Are you keeping members of your office cool in the hot weather?
Of course, we all feel the heat and the cold differently so that is why having a thermometer at work is crucial to measure the actual temperature we are working in – not just people’s varying ‘perceived’ feelings of being hot (or cold).
Of course, the word ‘reasonable’ makes judgment difficult but, worst case scenario, it will come down to what a judge believes is ‘reasonable’ in court.
Hot weather
At Greens, our golden rule is to ask yourself ‘what would I want or expect in this situation’ and go with your answer as being the ‘reasonable’ outcome.
So, in hot weather, like the UK has seen in the summer of 2022 with record-breaking temperatures in July, businesses face the challenge of making people as comfortable as possible in high heat and strong sunlight.
The physical consequences of being exposed to high heat or sunlight can lead to sunstroke when the body is just too hot to function. This is not a good position for anyone to be in when they trying to do a job because they can….
- Become weak
- Get sunburnt
- Struggle to concentrate
- Suffer muscle cramps
- Feel dizzy, sick, faint and can be irritable and even get violent.
So, to protect yourselves and your employees in hot weather, do these six things beginning with S…
- Sustenance – drink plenty of water
- Shift air – find a mechanical means of moving air with a fan or open window
- Suitable clothing – wear loose clothing
- Siesta/stop work – actually avoid work during the hottest part of the day
- Shade – put up physical barriers on the inside of windows
- Sweat – spray cool water or have a shower
You must have a risk assessment which sets out these hazards and brief it out to your staff and employees. If you don’t take the time to do a risk assessment for hot weather at work, you will not be able to defend any claim made against you.
Greens can help write this assessment and help tailor it to your particular business so, if this has been of interest to you, please get in touch.
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