Have you felt the heat in the last few days?

As the mercury went above 40 degrees for the first time and the red “extreme heat” warning issued by the Met Office it raised questions about the way we work and in particular is it too hot to work? With the impact of climate change this is going to become even more of an issue.

You may be in the position of having air conditioning but many of the parish offices do not. Many people find it uncomfortable working in such high temperatures and for some it could be dangerous with a risk of serious illness. This inevitably leads to the question – is there a maximum temperature to work. There is a minimum (16 degrees) but what about the other end of the scale?

Currently there are no laws for maximum working temperatures, but the Health and Safety Executive have said that the temperatures in offices and similar should be “reasonable” for staff to work.

The Trades Union Congress has called for the Government to introduce a maximum temperature of 30 degrees and to take other actions such as relaxing any dress codes or allowing workers to take regular breaks.

Other ways of alleviating the effects could be to do work in the cooler times – early morning or late evening; the provision of extra fans or cold drinks.