Businesses across England and Wales are being urged to reassess workplace safety measures as soaring temperatures raise fresh questions over employers’ legal responsibilities during periods of extreme heat.
With heatwaves expected to become more frequent, employment law specialists are warning that companies cannot ignore the risks posed by rising workplace temperatures, even though UK law does not currently set a maximum temperature at which employees must stop working.
Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, employers have a duty to ensure workplace temperatures are kept at a “reasonable” level, while the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires businesses to identify and manage risks through appropriate assessments.
The legal obligation does not mean every workplace must close during hot weather. However, employers are expected to take reasonable steps to protect staff where heat creates health and safety concerns.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not specify a maximum workplace temperature, recognising that different environments create different challenges.
An office, warehouse, kitchen or manufacturing site will all carry different risks.
While guidance recommends workplaces should generally maintain a minimum temperature of 16C — or 13C for physically demanding work — there is no equivalent upper legal limit.
However, lawyers warn that employers could still face scrutiny if they fail to respond to dangerous conditions.
High temperatures can affect concentration, decision-making and alertness, while prolonged exposure can increase the risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other serious health problems.
Workers’ age, health and individual circumstances can also influence how they are affected by extreme heat.
Employment specialists say employers should consider adjustments during periods of unusually hot weather.
Possible measures include improving ventilation, providing fans or cooling equipment, allowing additional breaks, making drinking water readily available and temporarily relaxing dress codes or uniform requirements.
Businesses may also consider flexible working arrangements, including adjusting shifts or allowing employees to work from home where appropriate.
The aim is not simply comfort, but reducing foreseeable health and safety risks.
The issue has prompted calls for clearer legal protections.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has previously argued that employers should be prevented from requiring indoor work when temperatures exceed 30C, or 27C for employees carrying out physically demanding tasks.
But until legislation changes, employers must continue to rely on existing health and safety duties and risk assessments.
For businesses, extreme heat creates another operational challenge at a time when many are already managing higher costs and changing workplace expectations.
The legal focus is likely to remain on whether employers have acted reasonably rather than whether a specific temperature threshold has been breached.
As climate patterns shift and extreme weather becomes more common, workplace heat management is expected to become a more significant issue for employers, employees and regulators alike.
The message from employment lawyers is clear: while there may be no official “too hot to work” temperature, companies still have a legal responsibility to ensure their staff can work safely.
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