This guidance helps employers understand where the potential for heat-related illness could occur, recognise the symptoms and ensure that necessary control measures are understood and can be properly implemented.
A key factor in many of these cases of heat stress is poor understanding understanding of working in hot conditions – both behaviourally and physiologically. Task performance, co-ordination and judgement can all be detrimentally affected by exposure to elevated temperatures; in some industries this has been shown to affect levels of unsafe acts and accidents.
This guidance was developed in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive (
), all sectors of the UK glass manufacturing industry and also with input from unions.