The present icy-cold climatic conditions in the UK have prompted a large number of workers to call upon the union GMB to ask if they are any legal provisions regarding their rights during cold weather.

John McClean, the GMB National Health and Safety Officer says employers are necessitated by law to make arrangements for a minimum workplace temperature of 16 degrees Celsius for deskbound employees, while manual workers have the right to a minimum working temperature of 13 degrees Celsius. Workers even have the right to more heaters if the minimum legal temperature levels are not maintained at the workplace, he stated.

McClean suggested that workers who were under the risk of slipping in the moist conditions could be given work elsewhere. An example was garbage collectors and street cleaners being asked to join the gritting teams, he added.

According to the weather factsheet brought out by Workplace Law Network, employers should ensure their workers’ welfare and assess risks in both hot and cold weather conditions.

It also lays down some measures by which employees can get respite from the biting cold. These guidelines include workers’ access to heated cabins, warm drinks and breaks from work, shifting work to warmer periods of the year and limiting work through work rotation so that employees are lesser exposed to cold.

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