As the heat wave continues, calls for maximum working temperatures have been made to protect people.
Such a measure could protect workers from fatigue, infections, heat stroke or even death, MPs said.
They want a limit of 30°C in most workplaces or 27°C for those who do strenuous work.
According to the proposals, employers would be required by law to implement ‘effective management measures’, such as installing ventilation or moving personnel away from windows and heat sources.
A total of 37 MPs have signed a motion tabled in the House of Commons by labor‘s Ian Mearns, in support of the plan.
It comes as the Met Office warns parts of England and Wales may experience extreme heat early next week, with temperatures expected to rise into the 1930s.
Currently, the BBC’s weather forecast for London is 35°C on Monday and 34°C on Tuesday.
Already, commuters have struggled with rising temperatures on the pipe network in the capital.
Members of Parliament’s Early Day Motion (EDM) reads: ‘That this House notes that recent surveys of representatives of workplace health and safety show that high temperatures are one of their top concerns.
‘(It) regrets that workers in the UK have no guaranteed legal safeguards against working in uncomfortably high temperatures, and that the consequences of this range from dizziness, fatigue, asthma, throat infections and, in extreme cases, heat stroke and death.
“(It) insists that without recognized law, current recommendations for employers to maintain a reasonable temperature in the workplace are impossible to enforce unless an employee is seriously insured or dies from heat stress.”
The EDM calls for a maximum working temperature of 30°C, or 27°C ‘for those doing heavy work, above which employers would have a legal obligation to implement effective controls’.
EDMs allow MPs to express an opinion, publicize a case, or support a position. However, EDMs are rarely debated.
This week, the Met Office warned that some people are at risk of serious illness or death from the heat wave.
Authorities have tried to emphasize the severity of the high temperatures, particularly for the elderly and pets.
‘Extreme pressure’ caused by the warm weather have forced all English ambulance services to the highest alert level.
Over the weekend and Monday, trusts in the South declared “critical incidents” and now their counterparts in the North have followed suit.
A source told the Health Service Journal that too many patients are suffering from the extreme heat in the back of ambulances.
Brits have also been advised to stay out of direct sunlight between 11am and 3pm on hot days whenever possible.
The warm weather advice from the Met Office was: “If you do go out into your garden, try to avoid the hottest part of the day and seek shade.
“Wear light, light-colored clothing, high-factor sunscreen, and a wide-brimmed hat.”
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