The Green MP, Hannah Spencer has announced that she will introduce a bill to Parliament on maximum workplace temperatures. The news follows recommendations in May this year from the Climate Change Committee for the Government to set a maximum workplace temperature to protect workers.
If the Bill becomes law, it will create a new independent body to recommend maximum safe workplace temperatures and set out how the recommendations should be put into practice. The Bill is expected to gain cross-party support.
It has been estimated that more than 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes in England and Wales during heatwaves in May and June 2026. Hannah Spencer said: “This is something workers and trade unions have been raising the alarm about for many years. It shouldn’t have taken this long to act, but the unsafe temperatures we’re seeing now should be a huge wake-up call.”
There is currently no legal maximum workplace temperature, although employers are required to ensure that indoor temperatures are reasonable by taking measures such as providing cold drinking water, providing fans/air conditioning and relaxing dress codes. Whether work is being done indoors or outside, employers must assess the risks to workers of high temperatures and put controls in place to protect them.
