Overview
- The Health and Safety Executive says there is no law setting a maximum workplace temperature and that no single upper limit can be imposed because some jobs routinely work in higher heat.
- Regulations require employers to assess heat as a workplace hazard and to provide a reasonable indoor temperature, with practical measures such as ventilation, drinking water, relaxed dress codes, altered hours, fans or air conditioning, and remote working recommended.
- Workers who refuse to work because they reasonably believe they face a 'serious and imminent danger' may have limited protection under the Employment Rights Act 1996, but that right is conditional and not an automatic legal defence against dismissal.
- Decisions on school closures for extreme heat are left to headteachers and local authorities rather than a fixed legal threshold, and employers are expected to act before conditions reach dangerous levels.
- Unions and campaigners are pressing for a statutory upper limit — with proposals ranging from 27°C for strenuous roles to 30°C or lower — and petitions and renewed public pressure could prompt government response or parliamentary debate.