Workplace sickness will surely increase wont it

[Friedbacon35]

With ever increasing termps aibu to think workplace sickness might spike in summer in future

I feel like I can barely do my job during the hottest part of the day felt like going to pass out

There needs to be legal maximum temp where you can just leave work

what a weird comment. Do you even know the conditions in many hospitals, and what the staff has to put up with you?

Schools should shut, because the kids have no choice , but the rest of the world doesn't stop because you are a bit hot.

There is a lot of unfairness with the way things are.

I work in the community visting clients and taking them out. If they want to do something (like yesterday) then I have to accommodate that. That meant I was out in direct sun during the hottest part of the day and using public transport.

My colleagues who do a similar role but based in a building were allowed to leave early. I was only aware of this when readimg an email when I returned home.

My manager didn't check in with me or mention any sort of alternative working patterns.

I couldn't just abandon my client in a public place and leave. It is shit for those who aren't office based.

No, hospitals and facilities should be air-conditioned and it should be switched on above a certain temperature. Amongst a billion other things that should be done to make conditions better for our healthcare workers.

That kind of workplace needs temperature control more than any other. Sick people with high temps or heat stroke shouldn't be in a building hitting 30°.
We have minimum working temps managed with heating. Max temps could be managed with air con.

How hard would it be to put stiffened foil blankets on the outside of windows, like we do cars?

It's a reasonable question.

It's a perfectly valid point but just doesn't suit your narrative.

You are "the one" in this situation.

Just remembered my DC school closed for the first time in like forever

The Uk needs to invest in greater use of air conditioning, except we're heading for broke and it doesn't fit with the net zero agenda.

Surely the responsibility is on the employer to put measures into reduce the temperature, rather than walk out, but if they don't make any effort should workers make themselves ill?
They could provide shading such as blinds, shutters, awnings, planting around windows to make shade, trees or climbing plants on the outside of buildings and window treatments such as either solar film or reflective film.
Then there's the more obvious provisions like extractor fans to remove hot air around equipment or air conditioning but that should be a second choice from an environmental point of view.
This all costs money, so employers don't do it, so they need legislation or at least guidance. There is guidance from the HSE that says that temperature must be kept at a reasonable temperature, but it only states a minimum of 16°C for office workers and 13°C for physical work. There needs to be guidance on a maximum temperature so health and safety reviews need to talk about what is being done by employers to reduce the temperature in heat waves, and a maximum should be set.

This.

No.

But perhaps having a legal maximum temperature will mean that trusts and private medical care will have to provide air conditioning, ensuring the safety and comfort of its staff AND patients during the increasing heatwaves.

If that still leaves you sore because 'why should they all get a day off work if I don't' may I gently suggest you are clearly in the wrong line of work, and that other career options are available if it bothers you that much.

I think people just need to be more resilient. What has happened to the world? People are so flakey and pathetic now. Anxious, stressed, cant cope so have self diagnosed ADHD, now they are too hot. Just drink plenty of water, get a fan and get on with it. Honestly, it is just how summers are now going to be.

AC will be great

Try working with the very elderly, heating on full blast, screaming blue murder if you open a window as "I'm getting a draught" .

A great excuse?? We had no say in being told to do half days last time. A colleague who has a classroom upstairs took the temperature of the room and it was 35. There is no air con despite it being only 6 years old. The airflow system recirculates the air in the rooms, so if it's stifling, tough. He's moved to the room next door to mine, but as the school grows, there won't be spare rooms.

I have no doubt that other workplaces are equally awful, but this whole 'schools are using it as an excuse' is not what we aim for as teachers. Haven't had a snow day in about 15 years.

@Brokene is right though. How would you feel if emergency services all said it's too hot to work so we can't come to your aid?

if I was a manager, I would add some extra breaks on red alert days (eg if I see 16 patients in 4 hours, I may reduce that to 14 to add water breaks and just space to leave a boiling room.. forward planning seems non existent with profit taking priority over employee safety.

Why just that kind of workplace? Why not every kind of workplace where it’s possible for it to be installed? I’m more than happy with people campaigning and suggesting for more air con. But making it illegal to work is just silly. What if the hospital air con broke one day even just for say 5 hours? It’s now illegal for all those people to work. So they need to leave? Or as I said what about people working outside? They can’t have air con. And if it’s illegal past a certain temperature they need to leave. So having a maximum temperature wouldn’t work. People should be campaigning for better air con and relaxed uniforms or home working where possible etc.

DH and I run a business and our staff have altered their work hours so they're working 6am to 2pm instead of 8am to 4.30pm. That way they're missing the worst of the afternoon heat. We've got fans everywhere, have filled the fridge with bottled water and are doing our utmost to get them through the day.

You just have to think outside the box. We've got a full diary for the next 8 weeks and I can't afford to tell them to stay home - customers will be cancelling their orders and no work means no wages.

Are you suggesting we have colder fires for the fire fighters to put out?

Its a salient point. Key workers will need to keep working, the burgeoning gig economy workers will need to keep working, employees of small businesses will need to keep working (as generally exempt from many employment rules). You are talking about an ever shrinking number of people in privileged positions of salaried jobs in offices who already have access to flexible working.

The key people who need to take responsibility for managing in the heat is ourselves.

I’d focus legislative efforts on indoor temperature management on residential rental flats where temperature are much higher than outside and tenants are often restricted in what they can do about it.

Outside work will probably eventually take inspiration from other countries where shifts are moved/split so no one like workers on building sites works outside during midday. Inside will need retrofitting with aircons.
As pp said gov is looking at max working temperatures guidance

The heating at the hospital that I work at is controlled from miles away. They switch it on every summer.

The only place with air conditioning is the clinic to keep the meds at the right temperature. The meds are worth more than the patients and the staff.

Still our scrubs are much cooler than uniforms for the police, paramedics and firefighters to name a few.

What do you do for a living out of interest? Obviously a job where you feel that you can just walk out?

Surely you should have the right to ask for some aircon.