Many people around Liverpool have been soaking up the sun and enjoying unprecedented levels of heat this May half term.
But as temperatures continue to soar and customers flock to beer gardens and restaurants, those working in hospitality are being pushed to their limits by having to deal with an increase in demand and high temperatures.
When temperatures exceed 30°C outside busy commercial kitchens can easily skyrocket past 40°C. This can lead to heat related illnesses for kitchen staff.
One hospitality worker who has worked in multiple kitchens across Liverpool, Logan McSharry, stated: “The heat is brutal, we’re responsible for our own wellbeing so we wear lightweight clothes, hydrate more and take as many breaks as we can.”
As the UK has historically not had to deal with excessive temperatures, there’s very little legislation in place to protect hospitality workers from the heat and there is no legal maximum working temperature in place.
Mr McSharry added: “In the kitchen very few safety precautions or safety measures to deal with hot weather exist. The heat doesn’t give us a reason to stop service. More breaks and a better cooling system would definitely help as it’s only going to get worse.”
Groups such as the Trades Union Congress have urged the government to implement a legal maximum working temperature of 30°C.
They have even gained support from the Green Party with leader Zack Polanski stating: “The government must set a maximum legal working temperature for workplaces to address the increasing risks that high temperatures pose to workers safety”.
Whilst there are little to no laws in place dictating industry standards for dealing with heat in hospitality many restaurants do put their own measures in place to ensure worker safety.
Nathan Thomson, who works at the Botanist on the Albert Docks stated: “We have access to unlimited drinks, ice and ice lollies and if the heat gets too much we can take breaks in the walk in fridge to cool off”.
As the UK gets hotter year-by-year many think it’s time that the government puts legislation in place to create industry standard health and safety measures to deal with the heat and protect hospitality workers from rising temperatures.
Many countries across Europe have legal maximum working temperatures such as Spain, where the inside temperature for hospitality workers must not exceed 25°C.
Mr Thomson added: “In kitchens there’s a lot of safety measures in place to deal with risks such as burning yourself but when it comes to heat in the building there is not much in place. Having good airflow, aircon and vents is the main thing I think every kitchen should be on top of otherwise it’s suffocating.”
