Green MP Hannah Spencer aims to pass law on maximum workplace temperatures

A proposed bill in the UK parliament seeks to establish maximum workplace temperatures, a move championed by Green MP Hannah Spencer. The legislation aims to address the growing issue of extreme heat in workplaces, exacerbated by the climate crisis, by creating an independent body responsible for recommending and implementing safe temperature limits.

“

From bus and train drivers sweltering in cabins that are hotter than the soaring temperatures outside and bakers working in temperatures of over 40 degrees, to builders whose workplaces offer no respite from the heat, the government has a duty to protect all of us.

Currently, UK health and safety regulations provide guidance on minimum workplace temperatures but lack corresponding limits for maximum temperatures. This oversight has drawn criticism from campaigners and unions, including Unison and the TUC, who advocate for a maximum indoor work temperature of 30C (27C for strenuous tasks). Spencer, a former plumber, highlighted the “unfair” conditions faced by tradespeople, citing examples of bus drivers, bakers, and construction workers enduring extreme heat.

Spencer emphasized the government's duty to protect workers, recounting a constituent's experience of laying tarmac in “unbearable” temperatures. She described the absence of maximum temperature guidance as “absurd” and a long-standing concern for workers and trade unions. The recent extreme temperatures, she argued, should serve as a “huge wake-up call” given the “absolute chaos” and “massive human cost” observed, yet without a government response on protection measures.

“

I had one constituent contact me about the appalling conditions he faced laying tarmac on roads in Gorton and Denton in temperatures he called unbearable.

The bill is expected to garner cross-party support, with backing from MPs across Labour, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, and the independent MP Jeremy Corbyn. The Health and Safety Executive has previously stated that imposing maximum workplace temperatures is complex, as excessive heat can stem from workplace activities like ovens, not just ambient weather. The existing code of practice sets a minimum temperature of 16C (13C for strenuous work).

“

This is something workers and trade unions have been raising the alarm about for many years – it shouldn’t have taken this long to act, but the unsafe temperatures we’re seeing now should be a huge wake-up call.

A May report from the Climate Change Committee, an advisory body to the government, recommended setting maximum work temperature regulations to mitigate the increasing risks to workers' safety and encourage the adoption of necessary cooling measures. This report did not specify a particular temperature limit.

“

We’ve seen absolute chaos as a result of these recent temperatures, and such a massive human cost, yet we haven’t heard a peep from government about how they plan to protect us all.