Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of maximum workplace temperature regulations in protecting workers' health and well-being.

A review of maximum workplace temperatures took place in 2010 and concluded that the legislation and supporting guidance is sufficient.

The existing law on workplace temperature, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, places a legal obligation on employers to provide a ‘reasonable’ temperature in the workplace. A meaningful figure is not set out in regulations due to the factors, other than air temperature, which determine thermal comfort (for example, the radiant temperature, humidity and air velocity). These factors become more significant and the interplay between them more complex as the temperature rises.

Detailed guidance on workplace temperature and thermal comfort is available on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/). This includes how to undertake a thermal comfort assessment and measures that can be taken to improve thermal comfort.