No nation loves to discuss the weather like the British and the heatwave which is currently engulfing the UK is a hot topic of conversation! Everyone is sweltering, nobody is sleeping and the Met office has taken the rare step of issuing a red, danger-to-life heat warning. While it may make a welcome change from the seemingly relentless rain earlier in the summer, it nevertheless comes with its challenges, at home but also at work. Rather than being a one-off-event, extreme weather seems to be becoming a regular feature of the British climate and accordingly, something employers should take the time to prepare for rather than simply react to.
Assessing the risks and relaxing the rules
While there is no legal maximum temperature for workplaces in the UK, that doesn’t give employers carte blanche to ignore the heat and expect everyone to “just crack on”. Employers are required to ensure that workplaces remain at a “reasonable” temperature and what is reasonable will depend on the nature of the workplace. It is therefore important that employers make sure that they have up-to-date risk assessments for working during extreme heat, bearing in mind multiple may be required if the workplace contains different working environments. For example, the risk to warehouse staff is likely to differ to that of those working in an office on the same site. There may also be particular workers who are more vulnerable to extreme weather, and it is advisable to carry out individual risk assessments in relation to them and to be open to the possibility that they may require different or additional accommodations to other workers.
Measures employers could consider taking may include making adaptations to dress codes, such as loosening the requirement for ties or suits in corporate environments. Where PPE is required to carry out certain types of work, the inherent risks of the job must be balanced with that posed by the heat and it may be that such work will need to be postponed to guarantee it can be carried out safely.
Rethinking location and staying flexible
Hot weather may cause disruptions to travel plans and result in employees being unable to get to or from work or meetings as easily as they otherwise would. It may be that employees would be more comfortable, and therefore more productive, working from home during extreme temperatures (although this may not be the case if the workplace has stellar air conditioning!) and if this is a viable option, invite employees to do so. If employees are required to be in work, measures should be taken to cool the workplace down and to provide adequate cool water to allow people to stay properly hydrated.
There have been reports during this latest heatwave that schools have had to close to ensure the safety of pupils. As with any disruptions to school opening, this will have an impact on parents who will have to make childcare arrangements to accommodate the closure and may need to take leave at short notice should it not be possible to make alternative arrangements.
While extreme weather conditions can prove a headache for employers, making sure that there is a plan in place before the weather hits and that staff are familiar with its contents, can help everyone keep their cool and avoid a situation where it’s not just the weather that is causing people to feel hot under the collar!
