🎥 Watch us on TikTok and YouTube
📲 Subscribe to our newsletter blasting workplace nonsense. Click here
We’ve all been there. Stuck in a boiling kitchen, retail floor, warehouse or office with no fan, no airflow, and absolutely no care from management. You’re drenched in sweat, your head’s pounding, and every shift feels like a slow collapse. And when you raise it? You’re brushed off like you’re being dramatic.
But let’s call it what it is: dangerous.
And while your employer might not give a f***, the law actually might.
Here in the UK, there’s no official maximum working temperature. That surprises a lot of people. We have rules about how cold it can be—usually 16°C or 13°C for physical work—but nothing on how hot is too hot. Employers just have to keep the temperature “reasonable”.
What does “reasonable” mean in the middle of a heatwave? That’s where things get murky. Because when it’s 38°C outside, and your workplace is a cramped kitchen with no ventilation, reasonable quickly becomes meaningless. People start fainting. Dehydrating. Making mistakes that could get them hurt.
This isn’t just about comfort—it’s about safety. And health.
If you’ve got medical factors like being perimenopausal, pregnant, or on certain medications, extreme heat can be dangerous. We’re talking risk of heat stroke, dizzy spells, migraines, heart strain. If your employer knows this and still doesn’t act? That could fall under disability discrimination or a failure to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010.
So yes—the law might care more than your boss does.
Here’s where you can push back legally or practically:
– You have the right to raise health and safety concerns. Employers must assess risks—including heat—and take steps to reduce them.
– If heat is affecting your health due to a medical condition or medication, ask for adjustments. That might be breaks, cooling options, or different hours.
– Your employer must provide drinking water. That’s not a luxury—it’s the law.
– You can ask for access to fans, shaded areas, or space to cool down. If they refuse without good reason, you can challenge it.
– If you’re represented by a union, speak to your rep. Some unions, like the TUC, are actively calling for maximum workplace temperatures around 27–30°C.
We’re not just talking about a bit of sweat. We’re talking about real physical impact—on your concentration, your safety, and your body.
Heatwaves aren’t rare anymore. They’re regular. And the more frequent they become, the more pressure there should be on employers—and the law—to take them seriously.
Right now, too many workplaces just don’t care. Or they pretend to, then do nothing. But your health isn’t negotiable. If it gets to the point where you’re close to passing out at work, you have every right to remove yourself from that situation. That’s not overreacting—it’s self-protection.
If they don’t care, the law might. And if the law hasn’t caught up yet? That’s not your fault. But it’s all the more reason to keep pushing for change.
Need support or guidance?
Get blog posts direct to your inbox via Substack: Click here
Surviving Work | Employee Rights, HR Truths & Survival Tips 
Leave a comment