UK bill targets maximum workplace heat as records break
A proposed British law would introduce legally binding maximum indoor temperatures, closing a regulatory gap that leaves the UK lagging behind European neighbours like Spain as climate change disrupts work.
Green MP Hannah Spencer is introducing legislation to establish maximum safe workplace temperatures in the UK, a move designed to protect workers from increasingly severe heatwaves.
The UK currently sets a minimum baseline of 16C, or 13C for strenuous work, but lacks any legal upper limit. This regulatory void leaves British workers less protected than those in Spain, where maximum temperatures are tied to specific jobs and shifts can be adjusted to avoid peak heat.
Under the proposed bill, an independent body would set and implement these temperature thresholds. Trade unions Unison and the Trade Union Congress are pushing for a 30C cap indoors, dropping to 27C for strenuous labour.
For businesses and investors, formalising heat limits would force widespread operational changes. Sectors dependent on manual outdoor labour or heat-generating processes, such as construction and commercial baking, would face new compliance costs and potential summer productivity 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,” Spencer said.
Spencer highlighted the physical toll on tradespeople, noting a constituent laying Tarmac in "unbearable" conditions. “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.”
The Health and Safety Executive has historically resisted fixed caps, arguing that excess heat often stems from equipment like ovens rather than ambient weather. However, in May, the Climate Change Committee advised the government to introduce maximum temperature regulations to safeguard workers and incentivise cooling investments. Ministers have since announced an HSE public consultation on updating guidance this year.
The legislative push comes as the UK endures a record-breaking summer. Temperatures have exceeded 34C on nine separate days this year, surpassing the previous record of seven, and have topped 35C on six days. Forecasters expect the heatwave across England and Wales to persist until at least Wednesday.
