伦敦气温超过35°C（95°F），建筑工人、面包师、厨师、救护人员和公交司机等多个行业的工人正在极端高温下工作，面临严重健康风险[1]。建筑工人Kenny Dinsdale警告称："如果你不小心，就会冒着严重伤害的风险，要么脱水，要么中暑，或者最终的结果是死亡"[1]。公交司机反映车厢温度可超过40°C，部分司机因条件恶劣而罢工[1]。
为保护工人安全，英国工会呼吁制定最高工作温度标准，效仿欧洲邻国的做法[1]。西班牙规定久坐工作最高温度27°C，轻体力劳动25°C[1]；比利时则根据体力强度分级，轻体力劳动29°C，中等体力劳动26°C，重体力劳动22°C，极重体力劳动18°C[1]。英国工会要求气温超过24°C时雇主采取降温措施，气温达到30°C（剧烈工作时27°C）时停止工作[1]。面包师工会主席Sarah Woolley表示已呼吁制定最高工作温度标准十年[1]。
Workers across Britain are facing hazardous conditions as temperatures soar, with employees in construction, baking, food service, ambulance, and public transport sectors all struggling with extreme workplace heat.[1] London has experienced temperatures exceeding 35°C (95°F),[1] and conditions have become severe enough that some bus drivers have staged strikes due to the poor working environment, with cabin temperatures reaching over 40°C.[1]
Unions and workers are now calling for the UK to establish maximum workplace temperature thresholds, following the model of other European nations. Spain has implemented standards setting maximum temperatures of 27°C for sedentary work and 25°C for light physical labor,[1] while Belgium has established a tiered system with limits ranging from 29°C for light work down to 18°C for extremely heavy labor.[1] British unions are seeking similar protections, with demands that employers take cooling measures when temperatures exceed 24°C and that work cease when heat reaches 30°C—or 27°C for strenuous activities.[1]
The urgency of such protections is underscored by worker testimonies. Construction worker Kenny Dinsdale warned that without precautions, "you risk serious injury, either dehydration, heat stroke, or ultimately death."[1] Sarah Woolley, chair of the bakers' union, has been advocating for maximum workplace temperature standards for a decade,[1] reflecting how long this issue has persisted without regulatory action in Britain.