The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned employers that they must take action to protect their workers during periods of extreme hot weather.
Britain’s health and safety watchdog spoke out as temperatures rose across the UK and have said that recent heat-health alerts issued by the Met Office, coupled with the record high temperatures recorded last summer, should act as a “wakeup call for all employers,” prompting them to review safety procedures and protect workers.
Employers must assess hot weather risks
Although there is no legally defined maximum temperature for workplaces, employers must be responsible, and have a duty to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees as far as is reasonably practicable. They are required to assess risks to their workforce, and this includes any health and safety risks posed by extreme weather such as heat waves.
During Summer 2022, visits to the HSE’s online guidance for working in hot weather soared by 1000%, while the number of concerns relating to hot weather reported to the regulator almost doubled in July.
All workers, whether based indoors or outdoors, are at risk during spells of extreme hot weather and employers should discuss potential changes they can make with their workers to help manage and reduce the risks.
Simple measures to reduce hot weather risks
The HSE has set out a number of recommended measures which are cheap and simple for businesses to implement, including:
- Checking that workplace windows can be opened or closed
- Using blinds or reflective film on windows to shade workers
- Positioning workstations away from direct sunlight and heat sources
- Insulating hot pipes and machinery
- Offering flexible working patterns to enable employees to work at cooler times of day
- Providing free access to drinking water
- Relaxing dress codes where possible
- Providing weather-appropriate personal protective equipment
- Advising workers that they should remove personal protective equipment when resting to enable them to cool down
- Sharing key health and safety information, such as the symptoms of heat stress and heat exhaustion and what actions to take if someone is affected
Extreme heat can impact worker health
The HSE’s Head of Operational Strategy, John Rowe, said: “Last summer should have been a wakeup 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.
“The extreme heat we experienced in 2022 isn’t going away so sensible, supportive employers will be planning now how they should respond.”
Common sense health and safety training
First Response Training (FRT) is one of the UK’s largest and leading national training providers.
They deliver a wide and diverse range of training for businesses and organisations across all industry sectors and throughout the UK. Their course range includes training in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, mental health, food safety, health and social care and more.
Their health and safety training is mapped to UK standards and legislation and follows HSE guidelines.
Based on a common sense, proportionate approach to workplace safety, training helps learners to understand the true benefits of creating a healthy and safe environment at work.
A trainer from FRT explains:
“We believe in creating safer working environments with people who care, and know that when workers feel safe, valued and protected, they are likely to be happier and more productive at work.
“Companies with a strong health and safety ethos can not only reduce workplace accidents and downtime, but also see better staff retention rates and increased employee satisfaction in the future.
“Health and safety training can help employers understand their responsibility to assess risks to workers, consult with workers on control measures to reduce those risks, and implement those measures. This applies to measures to maintain a comfortable, safe temperature for all workers as well as many other health and safety factors.”
For more information on any of the training courses that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or e-mail info@firstresponsetraining.com.