Heat in the Workplace: Employee Protection and Employer Responsibilities
Author: Thorsten Rienth
Climate change is driving up temperatures in summer. Workplaces, in consequence, are also getting hotter and hotter. Here's how employees can protect themselves from the heat and sun and what employers are obliged to do.
Excessive heat stress in the workplace endangers health, limits performance and reduces productivity for many reasons – for example, the error rate increases. Both outdoors and in the office, employers bear a certain responsibility towards their employees when it is hot and sunny.
Requirements of the law
The legal background, for example in Germany, is supplied by the Workplace Ordinance (ArbStättVO) in conjunction with the Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR). “Temperatures at the workplace must be conducive to health, regardless of whether the workplace is in the office or outdoors,” says Jörg Lobe, Head of Safety and Health Protection at DEKRA, referring to the legal situation. Employers are also required to introduce suitable countermeasures and instruct their employees about solar UV radiation. Key figures for UV radiation, among other things, are: the local UV index (UVI) published regularly by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS).
Which countermeasures to take exactly is determined by so-called risk assessments. Simply put: “The colleagues from the occupational health and safety department assess the heat or UV exposure on the individual object, i.e. at the workplace on site,” explains Lobe. If you don't have your own occupational health and safety department, you can purchase the expertise as a service, for example from DEKRA. “ As a first step, the experts assess the specific hazards in order to describe effective and targeted countermeasures in the second step and thus keep the associated hazards as low as possible.”
Systematic heat protection: from roller blinds to awnings
There are many different technical ways to protect against heat and UV rays at the workplace: in the office, roller blinds, venetian blinds or special sun protection foils help to keep the rays of sunlight out and rooms cool. Fans, preferably with a swivel function, extensive ventilation in the cool morning hours and the avoidance of unnecessarily switched-on heat sources such as electronic devices or lighting help to prevent the workplace from becoming a sauna or tanning bed. For outdoor workplaces, canopies, awnings or special sun protection gear which is worn on the body is used. This protects the skin. A tip for breaks: Run cold water over your wrists briefly to cool down and, of course, use sunscreen.
26, 30, 35 degrees - what to do and when to do it
A shift in working hours can also be helpful. Lobe: " Starting earlier in the morning means finishing earlier in the afternoon. That is when the highest daytime temperatures usually prevail." Of course, this option is not available to the same extent in all professions. “If the available protective measures are not sufficient, heat breaks – which have always been a staple in the steel industry – may well become an option.”
While legal or regulatory texts naturally remain abstract, the ASR sets at least three concrete threshold values for room temperature: From 26 degrees Celsius, employers should take initial measures to relieve the situation. The keywords here are relaxing clothing rules, providing drinking water and fans or adjusting working hours. From a room temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, effective measures must be taken, for example in the form of effective sun protection systems. Above 35 degrees Celsius, a room is no longer suitable as a workspace without additional measures.
A noticeable increase in awareness
Lobe has some good news when it comes to general awareness of heat and sun in the workplace. “My impression is that awareness of occupational health and safety has increased noticeably, especially among employers.” This is for several reasons. "On the one hand, employees are more proactive in asserting their well-being. Secondly, the supervisory authorities are increasingly pursuing the issue." And on top of that: “Employees who feel good are more productive and safer at work - and that also applies in summer temperatures.”
DEKRA will not leave you alone with regard to occupational health and safety. DEKRA provides support in complying with the statutory regulations on the
prevention of accidents at work, occupational illnesses and work-related health hazards
You can also read the latest DEKRA Occupational Safety Report 2025 available in German here:
www.dekra.de/asr2025