to think there needs to be a maximum working temperature.

[HelenaDove]

Ive been shocked to read on here and see and feel in RL how hot some workplaces are getting (namely some of the shops ive been in) some of the posts ive seen on here are really worrying. IMO there needs to be a maximum working temperature . This hot hot weather has gone on MUCH longer than the Beast from the East snow did. Why on earth does there have to be a death in this so called first world country before anything changes........i actually think thats what its probably going to take before anything MIGHT be done .

amp.theguardian.com/careers/2017/jun/21/working-in-a-heatwave-your-legal-rights?__twitter_impression=true

If there was air con in more workplaces and on public transport it would lessen the chances of people getting heatstroke so potentially less strain on the NHS.

I work in a care home. We still have the fucking heating on for some reason!

Manager came round today with leaflets about keeping cool in the heat and told us to make sure we followed the guidelines for our residents. A colleague asked "what about us?" Meaning could we relax uniforms/ be allowed more fans etc.
Manager replied "you don't matter. Just drink more if you have time"

We'll matter when we all start passing out from heat exhaustion! I personally have slept even worse than usual for the last few weeks and have a permanent headache due to heat. On more than one occasion I've felt light headed and had to hide in the bathroom sit down with a cold flannel on my head.

I should add that my residents will ALWAYS come first. It's why I do my job. But it's becoming almost impossible.

Prolonged sunny days, similar to that of the countries we choose as holiday destinations
Vs
Miserable, wet + dreary days, with the odd day of sunshine + scattered rain showers

Or should we just request to the gods for a happy medium????

Imagine you went on holiday to a hot country and the staff had all gone home because of a heatwave....... 🤷🏻‍♀️

Niffler thats disgusting. He sounds like the type who would blame you if you passed out while helping to lift a resident.

the staff who are acclimatized to it Polaroid In the countries likely to have air con. those staff!

Human overpopulation is the cause of the anthropocene and destroying the planet for our species, it’s only going to get much, much worse in the coming decades. My hellhole job is 38 degrees, boss does t give a fuck about his staffs health and won’t install air conditioning. He needs the £££ for his four kids.... 🤔🤔🤔

I think employers should have a duty to do something. There are too many who just don't care.

DH works in a kitchen. At his last workplace there was no air con and his kitchen was often 50-60 with awful humidity. He hated it - the sweatiness of it made his skin rub and bleed, he has passed out before and often suffered extreme heat exhaustion. His employer did nothing. At one point they were so short staffed that they wouldn't even facilitate his lunch break. He wasn't even allowed the windows open due to health and safety. He's changed employers and they do have air con but it's still around 35-40. They are better and do check in on their staff but I still think more could be done.

I don't think people going home from work in droves is the answer either though, nor is spending ££££ on air con for freak weather such as this. I do think staff need better respite in this sort of weather and effort should be made to cool working areas. There might be other countries that are hotter than ours, but our humidity is often much higher and other countries often do take cooling measures.

Maverick i agree but its not freak weather any more It is becoming the norm.

And as for ££££ on air con....................ive seen the ££££ cars that some of these owners of the private residential homes drive around in.

theres evidence of air con being both bad for health as well as harmful to the environment. so air con is hardly much of a solution

I travel around a lot for work. General observation is that the best buildings are the old Victorian buildings that haven't had subsequent modifications. You can generally open windows on both side of the building to at least get a breeze and the walls are thick enough the sun doesn't heat the building too much.

The other great buildings are brand new office blocks that are effectively air conditioned cubes.

The worst buildings we working in are anything built or modified in the 70/80s. The windows are tiny, low ceilings no cross breezes between rooms due to all the internal doors blocking the airflow!

I'm sure that there use to be. I worked in an office with huge windows and glass walls and it was roasting in the summer. We had a thermometer and willed it to get to the magic number so that we could go home. I forget what that was though.

Yorkshire the flats here including mine were built in the 70s.

They are unbearable at the moment They have filled the walls with insulation and back in 2004 we got new windows which dont open properly.

RunMummy So those in their high flying careers in nice air condtioned offices will be ditching their air con then.

Its funny how the "air con is bad for you anyway" just means for those in lower paid jobs like residential homes and B&M

I work for a large national company. Currently on maternity leave
Saw. Some work people the other day. The air con has broken. Its has a hospitality dept.
The kitchen was 45 degrees last week . They still had to wear their full uniform. Hats and aprons..
By Saturday 8 out of the 11 due in that day rang in sick.. Meaning they couldn't open that dept.
Monday the air con got fixed after saying originally there was no money too.

So glad to have this summer off..

Sign away...

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/224228

I remember struggling with this 30 years ago . architects have learnt no lessons since.

thank goodness for an old house!

My DH is a chef, that job is Hell in this heat. I am lucky as where I work has air con, so I am one of the only people happy to be at work.

I'm a carer for people with dementia, I go into their homes for hours at a time. Some of them still have heating on, multiple layers and blankets, every time we gently remove the excess, they put it back on having forgotten minute later.
It's a really tough job in this heat but they need care regardless of weather.

My office is in a listed building so we can't have aircon except via standalone units which are pretty useless.

What would help would me is to be able to work at home the whole time as it's cooler in my house (downstairs anyway).

bring that law in then watch the few remaining high st shops, small businesses and all manner of employment just drop away.....

is that what we really want to trade just for a bit of a hot summer each year?

Titsalina

That must be very worrying as there is the fear they will get heatstroke in their homes.

One of the reasons people are asked to keep a lookout for elderly neighbours in this weather.

I don’t know how air conditioning of work places will work but I do know that we make the microclimate in our big cities hotter by building over, getting rid of green spaces because concrete and artificial grass are easier and cheaper to maintain and cutting down trees and by driving everywhere.

We need more green spaces. Trees give shade and protection but we cut them down because they make a mess.

Run Mummy Some of the shops DO have air conditioning. A lot of the clothes shops do. Otherwise you end up trying on clothes while a sticky sweaty mess.

The B&M local to me sells FOOD Including some fresh food They SHOULD have air con.

I commute on the central line, it's been hitting 40 degrees down there this week, absolutely horrendous :(

Chardonnay My HA cut down 3 trees on our estate because it was cheaper than maintaining them.