Merseyside is expected to sizzle in temperatures of 29C today, as the hot spell of weather reaches its peak.
The Met Office has said that if temperatures reach as high as expected, Friday, June 17, will be the hottest day of the year so far. Some parts of the south are likely to see the mercury reaching 34C.
While here in the north, it could be anything between 27C to 30C. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Jason Kelly, said: "The heat is a result of a mix of home-grown warming due to a high pressure over the southern half of the UK, as well as a south westerly airflow bringing warm air, which has been over the continent through the week, across the country."
READ MORE: Temperatures hit 29C on 'hottest day of the year
As many people head to the office for the final day of the working week, a question on many people's minds is: "How hot is too hot to work?" According to official government guidance on workplace temperatures, there are no minimum or maximum working temperatures.
The Health and Safety executive (HSE) - which is responsible for setting the guidelines - state that this is because it would be unreasonable to set one blanket temperature to apply to every working environment - as certain industries can expect warmer temperatures due to the work that they do.
There’s no guidance for a maximum temperature limit, but employers must stick to health and safety work law which includes keeping the temperature at a comfortable level and providing clean and fresh air. The official guidance suggests a minimum of 16C or 13C if employees are doing physical work - and states employees should talk to their employer if they feel that their workplace temperature isn’t comfortable.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 lay down particular requirements for most aspects of the working environment and states that: ‘" During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable." While the meaning of "reasonable" can vary based on the workplace, the law states that if "a significant number of employees are complaining about thermal discomfort" then it's the employer's responsibility to carry out a risk assessment, and act on its results.
The HSE state employers should base their assessment on the thermal comfort of worker, which is defined as "a person’s state of mind in terms of whether they feel too hot or too cold." However thermal comfort is difficult to define as you need to take into account a range of variables, including humidity, sources of heat in the workplace, and personal factors such as uniform.
This means that the best that can realistically be achieved is a thermal environment that satisfies the majority of people in the workplace. However if you're a vulnerable employee – for example if you're pregnant or going through the menopause, or if you need to wear protective equipment at work so can't take off layers - this has has to be taken into account separately.
Employees working outside or carrying out a physical job may find their work hours re-scheduled to cooler periods and given free access to cool water and shaded areas of work. The HSE advice is to work slower if you're in danger of overheating and make sure you inform your employer:
The HSE said: "The more physical work we do, the more heat we produce. The more heat we produce, the more heat needs to be lost so we don’t overheat. The impact of metabolic rate on thermal comfort is critical."
It's not all down to your bosses though and there are things you can do yourself for example - add or remove clothing, choice of heating move to or away from cooling/heat sources etc. The HSE added: "The problems arise when this choice (to remove a jacket, or move away from heat source) is removed, and people are no longer able to adapt.
"In some instances the environment within which people work is a product of the processes of the job they are doing, so they are unable to adapt to their environment."
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