Workers 'should be sent home' if temperature exceeds 27 degrees, union demands

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Workers who are employed in labour-intensive jobs should not have to work in temperatures above 27 degrees, a trade union has demanded.Unite made the call to the UK Government as the country braces itself for what could be the warmest day on record.Temperatures are expected to hit 30 degrees across Scotland today.The union wants 27 degrees to be the safe working limit for those with strenuous jobs and 30 degrees for those with sedentary jobs.There is currently no law in the UK which states any given temperature is too hot or cold to work.But workplaces should ideally be at least 16C - or 13C if the job is mostly physical according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).Employment law is currently reserved to Westminster - meaning Holyrood has no say on that matter.Unite national health and safety adviser Rob Miguel said: "We are pressing for a maximum temperature for safe working of 27 degrees Celsius for strenuous jobs and 30 degrees Celsius for sedentary jobs, and a trigger of 24 degrees Celsius where action should be taken to reduce temperatures indoors and strict protection measures put in place for outdoor workers. "As the climate changes, it is vital that health and safety law is updated in line with the serious challenges this presents for workers.

We urge the government to get a move on with this so that there can be no ambiguities in the workplace. "In the meantime, employers have a legal and moral duty to ensure workers’ health is not damaged during the current hot weather. "Employers should be increasing the frequency and length of rest periods, while also ensuring that workers have free access to cool drinking water at all times."A number of MPs recently backed a campaign for a legal upper limit of 30C in