Our ref: HSR
Head Office Circular: NP/182/24
22nd July 2024
To: The Secretary
ALL BRANCHES
REGIONAL COUNCILS
Dear Colleague
WORKING IN EXCESS TEMPERATURES
I recently received a request from RMT H&S advisory committee that the issue of working in excess temperatures was placed before RMT National Executive Committee. This was in connection with the concern that RMT members experience great discomfort when working in excess temperatures, an occurrence which happens ever more frequently due to climate change - and given that there is not a legal maximum working temperature.
At its meeting on 18th July 2024, your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety Sub-committee from when they met to consider this matter:
We thank the RMT health and safety advisory committee for raising with us this extremely important problem for our members.
We note that the following countries have maximum workplace temperatures:
US regulations say that working temperatures should not go beyond 24C
Spanish guidelines state that working temp must not go beyond 27 degrees indoors or 25C for physical activity.
Germany, where 26C is generally considered the maximum for indoor work.
China, where temperatures reach 37C, outdoor work is banned during the hottest three hours of the day and at 40C it must stop altogether
UAE, where outdoor work is banned entirely between the hours of 12.30 and 15.00.
We instruct the General Secretary to:
- Write to all ROs and lead officers to ensure that agreements are in place with all employers in respect to arrangements for working in excess heat. Where these agreements are in place for ROs and lead reps etc to share these agreements with RMT h&s department and where such agreements are not in place to get into urgent discussions to agree such a policy
- Call on the TUC to step up their campaign for upper workplace temperature. Recognising that this is a measure the new Labour Government could take that would make a huge change to the life of UK workers and bring about big improvements - at no cost
- To meet with ORR to discuss industry best practice on this issue, given that we note that they intend to focus more activity on this subject area.
To write to all branches and regional councils accordingly.
I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring this circular to the attention of all relevant members.
Yours sincerely
Michael Lynch
General Secretary