'Raising the alarm' | MP tables maximum workplace temperature bill as UK heatwaves intensify

A bill that could pave the way for maximum workplace temperatures in the UK is set to be introduced in Parliament amid growing concern about the effect of increasingly frequent heatwaves on workers.

Green Party MP Hannah Spencer’s proposed legislation would establish an independent body responsible for recommending safe maximum temperatures and advising on how those limits should be applied across different workplaces.

The move comes after unions and campaigners repeatedly called for clearer legal protections for people working in extreme heat. Unison and the Trades Union Congress have advocated a maximum indoor temperature of 30C, falling to 27C for employees carrying out strenuous work.

UK law does not currently specify a maximum temperature at which employees should stop working. There is also no statutory minimum working temperature but, as the UK faces flash droughts and yet another heatwave as we approach mid-August, the debate goes on.