Your Health & Safety guide to working inside and outside in Hot Weather Conditions.

It’s the third day of the heat-wave and the mutterings amongst your staff have already started, its boiling in here, isn’t it about time we got air –conditioning? It’s against health and safety to work in this temperature!

Whilst there is a specific temperature quoted in The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations that workrooms should normally be at least 16 degress Celsius there is no upper limit quoted.

Regulation 7 deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces and states that:

‘During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable.’

The associated ACOP ( Workplace health, safety and welfare. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Approved Code of Practice ) goes on to explain:

‘The temperature in workrooms should provide reasonable comfort without the need for special clothing. Where such a temperature is impractical because of hot or cold processes, all reasonable steps should be taken to achieve a temperature which is as close as possible to comfortable. 'Workroom' means a room where people normally work for more than short periods.

The temperature in workrooms should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius unless much of the work involves severe physical effort in which case the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures may not, however, ensure reasonable comfort, depending on other factors such as air movement and relative humidity.’

So what is reasonable?

One persons hot can be another persons ,often sitting next to them, cold !

Air – Conditioned work areas are expensive to installand maintain so how do we address this problem?

Tips to reduce the stress from working in hot weather:-

• Provide electric fans to move air around the room.
• Provide portable air conditioning units BUT sometimes ,due to having an open window for the hose this will reduce the effectivness.
• Provide water dispensers dispensing cold water.
• Fit solar reflective coating films to windows. Low cost and very effective.
• Fit low energy light bulbs.

All the above nessitate some expenditure with possibly hire or purchase of air –conditioning units the most expensive.They can also be ineffective and you should ensure your supplier advises on siting and size etc.

Low cost remedies can involve the following:-
 

• Frequent breaks at the hotter times of the day.
• Vary working hours ,allow an early start.
• Relax the dress code,shorts allowed!
• Switch off lights if natural light levels allow this.
• Keep computers,copiers on standby or if possible switched off to prevent heat build up.
• If possible leave windows open at night or open them early in the morning to allow cooler air in.
• An ice lolly break often helps!
• Recognise heat stress in your employees and act quickly.

If working outside then you need to be aware if outdoors for a long time your skin could be exposed to more sun than is healthy for you.

People need to take more care if they have:

Fair or freckled skin that doesn’t tan, or goes red or burns before it tans; red or fair hair and light coloured eyes;a large number of moles.

To reduce the risk:-

• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day ,if possible.
• Provide more frequent rest breaks and advice your employees to sit in shaded areas to take breaks.
• Provide free access to cool drinking water
• Introduce shading in areas where individuals are working
• Encourage the removal of personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss.
• Educate employees about recognising the early symptoms of heat stress.

Also encourage awareness of the risks to your employees by advising on the following steps they can do to protect themselves:-

• Keep your top on , clothing made from close woven fabric, is better
• Wear a hat with a brim or a flap that covers the ears and especially the back of the neck.
• Stay in the shade whenever possible, during your breaks and especially at lunch time.
• Use a high factor sunscreen of at least SPF15 on any exposed skin.
• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
• Check your skin regularly for any unusual moles or spots. See a doctor promptly if you find anything that is changing in shape, size or colour, itching or bleeding.