Working in a very hot enviroment

Forgetful

What I would like to know is...Is there any Health and Saftey law to cover me if I have to work in a place thats over 37oC in the hot weather... I work in a chippy and in summer.. like now its very very hot!!!
Thanks

brightonman123

in a chippy, good ventilation and prevention of accidents must surely be bosses' first priority- dont want people fainting, and falling into the fat!

ask about windows, fans, rest breaks etc.

also check local council, re H&S laws..?

Meestapink

There are as far as I know no upper temperature limits for working, although if you check out the HSE website it does run you through relevant steps that your employer should take as to regards to breaks, ventilation, drinking water, PPE etc etc, none of these are mandatory changes but would be deemed to be in the employers best interests. Exposure to heat is no joke, some may say that the best option if no steps are taken to reduce the risk of Hyperthermia are to "collapse" and seek medical advice. However I have found at my workplace that those three magic letters of H S and E soon get the ball rolling to get suitable measures in place which reduce stress and increase productivity working in a hot environment.

Hope my reply is of assistance

MP

mardatha

Thats right - there are no upper limits, as long as they provide you with drinks there's nothing you can do. I used to work in a woollen mill that hit 90F in summer .:eek:

Meestapink

mardatha wrote: »

Thats right - there are no upper limits, as long as they provide you with drinks there's nothing you can do. I used to work in a woollen mill that hit 90F in summer .:eek:

I work in the steel industry, sometimes my skin temperature can rise to 57 ' C thats not even a funny temperature and that is using the most adequate PPE for the job in hand, however discuss matters such as water coolers, air con and evaporative cooling. I am sure that even though your employer may be reluctant, carry out a heat study yourself and present him not only the facts but possible solutions too. You more than likely will gain respect for using your noggin!! I do however realise that you are probably in a temporary position and the door is that way!! This is no excuse though for not addressing basic rights at work as laid down by the HSE. As I say although not mandatory they are considered to be best practice so any decent employer would strive to assist.

MP

Hammyman

Forgetful wrote: »

What I would like to know is...Is there any Health and Saftey law to cover me if I have to work in a place thats over 37oC in the hot weather... I work in a chippy and in summer.. like now its very very hot!!!
Thanks

I'd like to wonder why that's a surprise.

As others have said, there is no upper limit but you should be able to take plenty of drinks as and when you require however they have only to be water.

If you're drinking fizzy pop, that'll just dehydrate you even more. Tap water is the best.

I worked in seaside chipshops as summer jobs when I was a kid so I know how bad it can get.

Kate78

No there is no upper limit... my office thermometer reads 38C - H&S say TOUGH!!! :mad:

Keep drinking the water, fizzy drinks are no good!

wik

Hi, as said by others avoid fizzy drinks and make sure you drink plenty of water... Another tip is to run your wrists under the cold water tap every now and then, I always finds this helps to cool me down.

Judas

I take the OP has never been on holiday before to a hot environment.

mardatha

Being on holiday is very different to working ..

emmell

When I worked in my sisters chippy we had an air conditioning unit under the counter but it only cooled the person stood directly in front of it, it's also not as effective because the door was open. We also had fans but they seemed to just blow the hot air around, we used to freeze bottled water so it gradually defrosted as we worked so we always had a cold refreshing drink, also we used to put clean towels in the freezer to put round our necks to cool us down.
The upside of the job is it's great behind the counter when it's freezing outside.
ML.