Written question asked by Iain Wright (Labour) on Friday, 7 October 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 October 2011. It was answered by Lord Grayling (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 October 2011 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Working Conditions: Temperature

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals to set a maximum permitted working temperature.

Answer: In 2009, HSE commissioned an independent review into workplace temperatures, which drew on the wide range of non-Government research available. Following this review, conducted a survey about temperatures in workplaces, to which 2,933 completed responses were submitted. Evaluation of this and other data provided little evidence of significant numbers of illnesses, long or short-term, physical or psychological, caused or exacerbated by exposure to high temperatures. Given this, the Government have no plans to set a maximum working temperature.Guidance currently available on the HSE website provides advice to business on how to deal with high temperatures.[Continued in Column 943W]

Secondary information