Employees are being urged to consider relaxing dress codes and letting staff work when it’s cooler as June’s heatwave continues.

The Health and Safety Executive says this month’s already above-average temperatures and last year’s scorching summer, show that helping workers during times of extreme heat must now become a priority for bosses.

With the current hot weather expected to continue – and the Met Office’s heat health alert now extended into next week – we take a look at what the current rules are and ask ‘can you leave work when it gets very hot?’

What is the HSE saying?

June’s early heatwave, says the HSE, should serve as a ‘wake up call’ to employers.

After a scorching hot summer in 2022, and one heatwave already declared for early June, it says work places in summer are likely to be affected by high temperatures, and bosses should consider things such as flexible working or more relaxed clothing rules to help ensure workers are comfortable.

In social media posts this week the organisation, responsible for regulating workplace health and safety, has been reminding employers and workers that there is also weather guidance available for companies to follow.

John Rowe, HSE’s Head of Operational Strategy, said: “Last summer should have been a wake up call for all employers. Climate change means we’re likely to get hotter summers and that could have a big impact on the workforce of this country, affecting everything from health of workers to productivity on construction sites.

“We know all employers are under pressure and we don’t want to add to their burden but it’s vital they think hard now about simple and cheap measures they can put in place to support workers should we see extreme heat again this summer.”

Every workplace is different, acknowledges the rules.

However employers, it insists, must stick to health and safety at work law, which means assessing risks to the health and safety of their workers, particularly during a prolonged hot spell. And considering whether it can introduce measures to make conditions more comfortable.

Are there maximum temperatures for workplaces?

In short – the answer is no. Because, says the HSE, every workplace is different and some spaces will be hotter than others depending on the nature of the job that you do which may have nothing to do with seasonal changes in the weather.

This means – it says – that no meaningful upper limit that can be imposed as a blanket rule that means workers could be sent home when the weather gets very hot.

However that doesn’t mean that there is nothing workplaces can do.

The law, says the HSE, still requires employers to take responsibility for working conditions when temperatures are either very hot or very cold.

The guide adds: “All workers are entitled to an environment where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Heat is classed as a hazard and comes with legal obligations like any other hazard.”

What does the law say?

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations require employers to provide a reasonable indoor temperature in the workplace – but this will depend on the activity and environmental conditions.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations require reasonable workplace temperatures for indoor areas of construction sites while outdoors, bosses must offer protection from adverse weather and site rest faciltiies must be maintained at an ‘appropriate temperature’.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations the law says employers must assess the risks to their workers and then put controls or measures in place to protect them.

Temperatures in the workplace, says the HSE, is one of the risks that should be assessed regardless of whether work is done inside or outdoors. Workers, or their representatives, can also be consulted, it adds, on the best ways to cope with extreme temperatures.

What can bosses do?

As June's hot weather continues the HSE has released a list of things it says employers can consider this summer which are ‘simple and cheap measures’ and could help all staff when it is hot.

The list includes:

Making sure workplace windows can be opened or closed to prevent hot air from circulating or building up.

Using blinds or reflective film on workplace windows to shade workers from the sun.

Placing workstations away from direct sunlight and heat sources.

Putting insulation around hot pipes and machinery.

Offering flexible working patterns so workers can work at cooler times of the day.

Provide free access to drinking water.

Relaxing dress codes if possible.

Providing weather-appropriate PPE

Encouraging workers to remove their PPE when resting (ideally in shaded areas) to cool off.

Sharing information about the symptoms of heat stress and what to do if someone is affected.

John Rowe, HSE’s Head of Operational Strategy, added: “The extreme heat we experienced in 2022 isn’t going away so sensible, supportive employers will be planning now how they should respond.”