To think employers should be required to provide air conditioning

[SweatingToTheGrave]

Yes I'm moaning about the heat!

I'm sat in the office which is a literal sun trap, sweating like hell, pregnant and with one measley fan blowing hot air in my face. My clothes are literally sticking to me and it's actually making me feel ill now.

AIBU to think that employers should be required by law to provide air conditioning for these sorts of weather conditions? I honestly feel like I can't work productively at all today.

Okay some might tell me to get a grip and maybe I'm being OTT because of the hormones but why should I sit here sweating through my clothes, feeling sick and with a headache because employers aren't required to have proper provisions in place

I'm considering not coming at all tomorrow if it's like this again!

It’s absolutely vile today!

I’ve just spent 3 hours in theatre. A room that can’t have windows open, can’t have a fan, can’t have air con and is on the second floor where all the heat rises to. I was sweating so much I couldn’t see properly as it was all in my eyes.

Feel very ill now.

Why should merely being pregnant get anyone special treatment in the office, they're not ill! I suppose if they take time off and are reprimanded the preggo card is useful too. It's a few days, much cooler next week, live with it! To disappoint people, I had a summer baby in a Med country, no air con other than opening windows, I got through it, never would have occurred to me to expect special treatment.

I've mentioned this before but last job I had ( left last summer also heatwave but don't remember it this hot ) anyway temperatures was 30c in the office every day no air con. It was horrendous after lunch zero productivity too drained . I requested we hire air con but was told we have fans. Fans help but when it's that warm ( windowless office ) it's just not nice . Never once was we told to go home due to heat we constantly felt ill . No bottled water was provided or extra breaks .
I now work in a lovely air con office free bottles of water and we have even had ice lolly's today .
I honestly think employers should think as what's the point if you feel too ill and lethargic to work in 30c heat .

Did you not see my post about public transport. And the 10 warmest years on record have all occured in the last 17 years.

user some employers dont even see their employees as people

They are providing air conditioning. They've given you a fan.

Seriously though, this is one week out of 52. Expecting all employers to invest in aircon for a very short period is ridiculous. Most decent employers are allowing other measures such as coming to work in shorts or making sure there's lots of fresh drinking water.

Otra so if your central heating breaks down in winter you would be happy to be told You have a fan heater so youve got heating.

Because if a fan is equivillent to air con then the same must go for fan heaters and central heating.

There's something in our H&S legislation about maximum and minimum working temperatures for offices.

Because kitchens and bakeries are lumped in with offices, there's no maximum temperature limit. 😥

Minimum is about 16 degrees.

emergency services are working flat out I wonder how many ambulances have visited Amazon warehouses this week

My car said 41C today - we are near Heathrow which had a record july tem of amlmsot 27C today so may be my car is a bit wrong but it was certainly very hot (and I work for myself without air con so have a plastic container of cold water in which I keep pushing my feet)

If enough employees complain then you have to be sent home.

Our managers went to iceland today and bought everyone an ice lolly. It was smashing!

@Aquapris says who?

Theres no upper working temperature limit.

Believe me I know. I searched and searched over the years I worked in a commercial kitchen. Now THAT was hot!

@tillytrotter1 erm because being pregnant means that certain situations are far more uncomfortable and could endanger the baby?

I disagree about an obligation for air conditioning. Buildings should be designed and modified so it is not needed is the best way. More shade for example, less or no use of floor to ceiling windows. Windows that open. A different requirement for what is acceptable to wear. Allowing, as our company has done, people to start and finish outside the rush hour.

Incidentally our new Prime Minister will be of no help, as the man who introduced a bus with no upstairs opening windows.

You are pregnant - your employer must make all reasonable adjustments to protect your health and safety and that of your unborn baby or else send you home on full pay until the temperature drops or they get AC or similar. It is Called a maternity suspension. Look at the HSE webpages with advice for new and expectant mothers. Don’t take any risks.

@MrsElizabethShelby I read it online when googling the Q yesterday and when now looking for my source have discovered it says 'should send employees home'. So ignore me - terrible sourcing!

We don't have aircon in the manufacturing area at work so in this weather we move to 'summer working' which means 6am-2pm, if you can't work from home is that an option?

YANBU. The highlight of my day was taking DS to get his hair cut, lovely and cool in the barbers! 38 degrees here my eyeballs are sweating 😫

We have an office with two floors. The big wigs downstairs have air con, the workers upstairs don’t! We were sweltering today whilst they were in a nice chilled room.....

Personally I think that there should be a maximum working temperature.

I'm lucky where I work we have air con in our cabs. I've seen a post on fb today from someone who works for another company and his train driving cab is showing a reading of 42 degrees. IMO that's not on.

Wow Zoom what a bunch of cunts. I rest my case

Yabu, you can sit down in an office, I have to do a really physical job with no air con. That makes me feel very faint (all of us not just me) and it's really heavy stuff, bending and lifting, and some pregnant staff. But, pregnancy is not an illness!
And my last place (TK Maxx - posted about it at time) allowed no water on the shop floor! I would die if still there, I wouldn't be there.
I don't think they should have air con in UK companies (much as I dread going to work tomorrow... thick socks and steel toed boots) because it's just not going to be used enough. Two hot summers yes but I remember in the noughties a string of cold rainy summers...

I also have a physical job and horrible uniform. I'm dreading it. 😩 Got up to 40° today due to a combination of kitchen heat, customers and the sun blasting through the huge windows.

I work in a really big store without aircon & so many people complain how hot it is. Our sales have been down & I’m sure the uncomfortable conditions are a factor. We have fans on the tills. I couldn’t cope without one! How the guys on the shop floor & in the warehouse cope I have no idea.