Call for bosses to relax dress code as heatwave bites

WORKERS sweltering in the heat should be allowed to ditch their suits and wear cooler attire instead, employers are being told.

To help staff cope with the heatwave sweeping the UK, the TUC has urged firms to relax their dress codes temporarily and let workers go home if it gets too hot.

The advice will come as a particular relief for male office workers who are often expected to wear shirts, suits and ties to work. Heatwaves are generally easier for female workers to dress for, as they are able to switch to smart short-sleeved dresses.

Yesterday temperatures in some regions exceeded those in Los Angeles and the Bahamas as the hottest day of the year so far gripped the nation.

Temperatures reached 90.3 F (32.4C) in parts of greater London in the afternoon, just above the 90F highs of the weekend. Most of the country was affected but the north of England and Scotland had much cooler, cloudier conditions.

Emergency services are on standby after the Government issued a level three amber heat alert as temperatures are forecast to rise further this week.

Temperatures are due to peak at 93.2F (34C) in certain parts of the UK before cooling down by next weekend.

Union leaders again called for a change in the law to let workers go home if the temperature reaches 86F (30C), or 80.6F (27C) for people carrying out physical work. It also wants to introduce a maximum indoor temperature, with employers obliged to adopt cooling measures when a workplace temperature reaches 75.2F (24C).

Companies should supply workers with cool drinks and allow them to take regular breaks, it added.

General secretary Frances O’grady said: “While many of us will welcome the sunshine and warm temperatures this week, working in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous.

“Employers can give their staff a break by relaxing dress code rules temporarily and ensuring staff doing outside work are protected. Obviously shorts and flip flops won’t be the right attire for all workers, but no one should be made to suffer unnecessarily in the heat for the sake of appearances.”

Meanwhile, parents of children at Whitchurch high school in Cardiff are calling for uniform rules to be changed – as children are getting burned by metal tie clips in the heat.