What to do if extreme weather is affecting your workplace

In the case of extreme weather, employers must plan for possible disruptions

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on acas

There is no legal maximum or minimum temperature that people can work in but, by law, employers have a duty of care to make sure working temperatures are reasonable for their staff. This means that if extreme temperatures are expected, employers should:

• make plans for keeping staff comfortable and safe; 
• carry out health and safety risk assessments;
• remove or reduce any risks found.

For example, depending on if it’s hot or cold, employers could: 

• relax any dress code so staff can wear more suitable clothing, while still following rules on personal protective equipment;
• allow extra breaks for staff to get hot or cold drinks;
• provide extra heating or cooling equipment, such as portable heaters, fans or air conditioning units.

By law, employers must carry out health and safety risk assessments for women of child-bearing age, including anyone who’s pregnant, breastfeeding or just had a baby. If a risk cannot be avoided or removed, the employer must suspend the person on full pay until the risk has ended, or been removed.

When doing risk assessments, employers must include those with health conditions or disabilities that can be affected by extreme temperatures. They should talk with the employee and agree on a suitable solution – for example, adjusting their working hours or having an air-conditioning unit by their desk.

What is a reasonable workplace temperature?

Although there’s no legally defined maximum or minimum temperature for working, health and safety guidance suggests that a reasonable temperature should usually be at least 16°C. If much of the work involves a lot of physical effort, it’s 13°C. What is reasonable also depends on the working environment and type of work – for example, a bakery, office, warehouse or cold storage could all reasonably be expected to have different temperatures.

How employers should plan for disruption

If extreme weather or transport problems can disrupt work, employers should have a policy for what they and their staff should do in these circumstances. Employers also have a duty of care for the health and safety of all staff; this means they should not encourage staff to travel when it’s not safe – for example, where heavy snow or ice means people are told not to travel by car or public transport except for emergencies. Employers should plan ahead for these circumstances, including how they will:

• keep in contact with staff;
• arrange cover for any emergency or necessary work;
• arrange for hybrid working or staff to work from home, if this is an option;
• send messages and warnings to customers to set expectations where necessary;
• help staff plan safe travel to work, if this is an option.

If the situation could affect someone’s pay, employers must make this clear to them and put it in writing. This can help keep things clear and avoid disagreements.  

What a policy for extreme weather and travel disruption should include

An employer’s policy for when extreme weather or transport problems disrupt work should include:

• how the employer will contact staff;
• who staff should contact, for example a line manager or nominated person;
• how staff should stay in contact with work;
• arrangements for other places or ways staff can work, for example at another workplace, doing different duties, or hybrid working;
• what happens if the employer has to close the workplace or cancel transport;
• how and when an employer will do a risk assessment.