Overview

• The Health and Safety Executive intends to publish detailed proposals for consultation that would require employers to carry out heat-stress risk assessments when temperatures rise.
• Draft guidance is expected to recommend measures such as increased rest breaks, shaded work areas, water provision and flexible shift patterns during extreme heat.
• Unite, GMB and the TUC are pressing for a statutory maximum workplace temperature of 27 °C and a formal right for workers to pause or adjust tasks in high heat.
• A government spokesperson has reiterated that there are currently no plans to introduce a legal temperature cap despite calls from unions and some Labour politicians.
• Many businesses and local councils have already adapted operations—starting shifts earlier, installing temporary cooling solutions and altering workflows—to protect staff amid recent heatwaves.