Employers Urged to Protect Workers as Heat Health Alert Issued

Employers need to act now to make sure their workers are protected as a heat health alert is issued for parts of the country until Tuesday 23 June.

That’s the message from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the country’s workplace regulator, as summer arrives in the UK.

As temperatures are expected to soar across the UK, the regulator is calling on employers to plan for and support those, such as roofers, working in extreme heat. The regulator says doing so will keep workers healthy and safe while also maintaining productivity.

Employers must assess risks to the health and safety of their workers by law, including risks from extreme weather such as heatwaves.

HSE says everyone – whether working indoors or outdoors – is at risk and employers should discuss with workers changes to manage the risk.

Protecting Outdoor Workers

When working outdoors, the weather can have a serious impact on worker’s health if the risks have not been properly managed, says HSE.

This impact may be immediate or occur over a longer time, leading to conditions like skin cancer.

Simple measures to consider include:

• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day
• Provide more frequent rest breaks and introduce shading to rest areas
• Provide free access to cool drinking water to avoid dehydration
• Introduce shading in areas where people are working
• Encourage workers to remove personal protective equipment when resting to help encourage heat loss
• Make sure workers can recognise the early symptoms of heat stress
• Encourage workers to use a high factor sunscreen of at least SPF30 on any exposed skin

John Rowe, Deputy Director for Technical Support and Engagement for the Health and Safety Executive, said: “Last summer should have been a wake-up call for all employers. If we continue to experience hotter summers this could have a big impact on the workforce of this country, affecting everything from health of workers to productivity on construction sites.

“The risks to workers from extreme heat must be properly assessed. Practical steps can include providing adequate ventilation and shade and allowing enough breaks for workers to cool down. We provide detailed guidance on our website.

“We know all employers are under pressure and we don’t want to add to their burden but it’s vital they think hard now about simple and cheap measures they can put in place to support workers should we see extreme heat again this summer.”

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