A sweltering heatwave has arrived in the UK as forecasters are warning over dangerously hot temperatures. The public are being urged “to do as little as possible' and try not to use public transport.
The Met Office has issued the UK's first red extreme heat warning for parts of England, while an amber warning has been extended across Scotland.
With the temperatures to exceed 40C in some places, employees and staff may struggle in uncomfortable situations, especially if working outside or in places with no air conditioning.
The question is - how hot is too hot to work? We've taken a look at the government guidance and expert advice in place.
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What is the guidance on working during heatwaves?
Workers should be allowed to take frequent breaks to help them keep cool, TUC workers' union recommends.
There's a recommended minimum temperature for a workplace, although it isn't set in law - 16C, or 13C if employees are doing physical work - but things get a bit messier when it comes to a maximum.
There also isn't a law for maximum working temperatures. However, during working hours the temperature in all indoor workplaces must be "reasonable".
The TUC wants to make it illegal to keep people at work indoors if the temperature is above 30°C and protection in place for people working outside or driving for a living too.
Sadly, that's not happened yet – but the good news is that there are rules that can let you leave an office that's too hot, just no official maximum temperature.
The Health and Safety executive (HSE), which is responsible for setting the guidelines, say this is because it would be unreasonable to set one blanket temperature to apply to every working environment - as certain industries can expect warmer temperatures due to the work that they do.
There’s no guidance for a maximum temperature limit, but employers must stick to health and safety work law which includes keeping the conditions at a comfortable level and providing clean and fresh air.
The official guidance suggests a minimum of 16C or 13C if employees are doing physical work - and states employees should talk to their employer if they feel that their workplace temperature isn’t comfortable.
Can you be sent home if your workplace is too hot?
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 lays out requirements that employers must abide by to keep working temperatures 'reasonable' regardless of the temperature outside.
Employers must keep the temperature at a comfortable working level and provide fresh clean air. They are, however, not legally obliged to provide air conditioning for workers.
If temperatures are not at a comfortable level you are able to submit a complaint to your boss who should carry out a risk assessment.
If further action is required you can contact an industry regulator.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 states: ‘" During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable."
The HSE state employers should base their assessment on the thermal comfort of worker, which is defined as 'a person’s state of mind in terms of whether they feel too hot or too cold.'
However, thermal comfort is difficult to define as you need to take into account a range of variables, including humidity, sources of heat in the workplace, and personal factors such as uniform.
This means that the best that can realistically be achieved is a thermal environment that satisfies the majority of people in the workplace.
However if you're a vulnerable employee – for example if you're pregnant or going through the menopause, or if you need to wear protective equipment at work so can't take off layers - this has has to be taken into account separately.
Employees working outside or carrying out a physical job may find their work hours re-scheduled to cooler periods and given free access to cool water and shaded areas of work.
The HSE advice is to work slower if you're in danger of overheating and make sure you inform your employer:
It states: "The more physical work we do, the more heat we produce.
"The more heat we produce, the more heat needs to be lost so we don’t overheat. The impact of metabolic rate on thermal comfort is critical."
The HSE added: "The problems arise when this choice (to remove a jacket, or move away from heat source) is removed, and people are no longer able to adapt.
"In some instances the environment within which people work is a product of the processes of the job they are doing, so they are unable to adapt to their environment."
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