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Written question asked by John McDonnell (Labour) on Friday, 19 June 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 23 June 2015. It was answered by Justin Tomlinson (Conservative) on Wednesday, 24 June 2015 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Working Conditions: Temperature

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that employers comply with legislation and guidance on controlling excessively high temperatures in the workplace.

Answer

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities regulate workplaces to assess compliance with health & safety legislation. They also investigate complaints about working conditions, including excessive high (or low) temperatures. HSE targets its interventions on workplaces in higher risk sectors that include foundries and bakeries where high temperatures can be a concern. Inspectors can take enforcement action to improve conditions where they find problems.

There is extensive guidance on the HSE website on this topic, including heat stress, and the practical steps that employers can take to manage risk. HSE is also simplifying this guidance to make it easier to use by small and medium sized enterprises. Guidance on various aspects of excessive high or low temperatures in the workplace can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/index.htm

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
3342
Session
2015-16
Subjects
Working conditions Temperature
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk