Bosses urged to keep workers cool and provide water
Heatwave conditions have been confirmed across parts of the UK and the Met Office has raised the Heat-Health Watch to level three for London and South East England.
Highs have hit 31°C by day, not fallen below 18°C at night in some areas.
Chief Forecaster Eddy Carroll said: "Temperatures are likely to reach 32°C before becoming less hot by the weekend as noticeably fresher conditions with the risk of showers pushes east across the country."
The Met Office has issued an advisory of heavy rainfall for parts of western Britain on Thursday.
Keep workers cool
RSA warned companies to keep their workers cool to boost productivity.
Ian Houghton, Business Continuity Manager at RSA, has this advice to offer to businesses: "Businesses should always aim to keep their employees happy and comfortable whilst at work, and even more so during the credit crunch when companies need their staff working at their maximum productivity to survive.
"As many businesses do not have the resources to splash out on new air conditioning for their offices, leaders should consider more cost effective measures, for example hiring temporary cooling measures for the heat wave such as mobile air conditioning units.
Workers should also have access to drinking water throughout the day and be careful if they sit in the sun during their lunch breaks. Also blinds or a reflective film should be put on windows to keep as much sunlight out of the office as possible."
Worker demands
The Trade Union Congress (TUC demanded that bosses:
- allow staff to adopt less formal attire - with jackets and ties out, and short sleeves, vest tops and shorts in;
- distribute fans to staff and provide portable air cooling cabinets;
- install air conditioning and maintain it regularly, so that it doesn't break down during a heatwave;
- allow flexible working so that staff can have the option of coming in earlier and staying later to avoid the sweltering conditions of the rush hour commute;
- move desks away from windows, draw blinds or install reflective film; and,
- allow staff to take frequent breaks and provide a ready supply of cool drinks.
