MAXIMUM WORKPLACE TEMPERATURE

That this House notes that whilst there is a legal minimum workplace indoor temperature, there is no clear legal maximum workplace temperature so that conditions can vary greatly from employer to employer; further notes the many employees, particularly those working in bakeries, are often subjected to very high temperatures which can impact seriously on their health and well-being with effects ranging from discomfort, stress, irritability and headaches, to extra strain on the heart and lungs, dizziness and fainting and heat cramps due to loss of water and salt; and urges the Government to provide clear and coherent guidelines to employers about how to combat heat in the workplace, and to introduce a maximum working workplace temperature of 30C (86F) and of 27C (81F) for those doing strenuous work.