Employment: Temperature
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many inspections the Health and Safety Executive has undertaken relating to excessive workplace temperatures in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prioritises its resources to concentrate on the most serious risks and target dutyholders with the worst risk management record. Therefore, there have been no proactive inspections specifically relating to excessive workplace temperature.
HSE uses a targeted blend of interventions to deliver its strategy and maximise its impact. The main interventions are:
- communication, guidance, advice and information
- collaboration and partnership
- following up reports of health and safety issues and incidents
- inspection of work activities and workplaces
- investigation of incidents
- enforcement including providing advice, serving notices and prosecution
As part of this HSE provides guidance for employers to manage the risk to workers, including from extreme heat. HSE issued a press release on Friday 19 June to raise awareness of managing the risks to workers to help workplaces in the current hot weather.
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