Hot Weather Policy

Who can use this policy
 
This policy can be used by all employers.
 
Commentary

Employers have a primary duty to eliminate or, where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise risks to health and safety arising from hot weather conditions. This includes implementing appropriate control measures and regularly assessing environmental conditions and the nature of the work being performed.

Under section 84 the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, a worker may cease, or refuse to carry out, work if the worker has a reasonable concern that to carry out the work would expose the worker to a serious risk to the worker's health or safety, emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to a hazard. Extreme heat can be considered a hazard.

There is no prescribed "stop work" temperature under work health and safety legislation. Whether work can continue will depend on the circumstances, including the nature of the work being performed, environmental conditions, available controls, and any applicable provisions contained in an enterprise agreement or modern award.

This policy assists employers and employees in assessing and managing risks associated with carrying out work during hot weather. 

The way heat affects people varies from person to person depending on general health, age, fitness, body weight and other variables.
 
For this reason, this policy:

• outlines general guidelines that will assist employees in combating heat-stress or heat-related illness;
• provides information to employees to ensure they can prevent, identify and avoid heat-related stress or heat-related illness; and
• enables employers to direct employees to carry out alternative duties or send employees home if there are extreme or unsafe hot weather conditions.

Employees who have concerns regarding hot weather conditions are encouraged to raise those concerns with their manager as soon as practicable. Any concern relating to heat exposure should be addressed promptly and investigated in accordance with the company's work health and safety and grievance resolution procedures.