Hot weather working advise

 

Watch out for heat exhaustion and heatstroke

During the hot weather, it can be easy to overheat. 

While heat exhaustion is not usually serious, as long as you can cool yourself down, heatstroke is a medical emergency.

Here's what to look for and what to do.

Heatstroke or heat exhaustion?

Heat exhaustion happens when your body is becoming too hot and struggling to regulate or cope.

It can affect anyone, including fit and healthy people - especially if they are doing strenuous exercise in high temperatures or have been drinking alcohol in the sun all day. It can come on quickly, over minutes, or gradually, over hours.

The symptoms you will feel are your body's way of warning you to cool down, fast.

Check out the BBC website  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62120167  for more info and what to do if you or someone is suffering

Is there a limit on working in heat?

There's no law for maximum working temperature, or when it's too hot to work. Employers must stick to health and safety at work law, including: keeping the temperature at a comfortable level, sometimes known as thermal comfort. providing clean and fresh air.

Click below and check out the guidance from the HSE 

Is it too hot to work? Temperature in the workplace

Remember simple precautions after rise in COVID cases during June

People in Oxfordshire are being reminded to remember simple COVID precautions in response to the county, and country as a whole, currently going through another phase of rising cases.

During the last two to three weeks case numbers in the county have doubled, with a new sub-variant of Omicron thought to be one of the chief drivers of the rises being seen in Oxfordshire and elsewhere.

Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Public Health, said: “It’s been great for everyone to relax after the difficult last couple of years we’ve had with rules of varying kinds meaning restrictions on our lives.

“Currently there are no restrictions but there is still good, solid guidance that people are advised to observe to protect themselves and their families, particularly vulnerable and elderly people.

“The main bit of advice is to stay at home if you feel unwell – but it’s also worth reminding people of all those things that we learned during the height of the pandemic to reduce the risk of COVID spreading.

“This includes ventilating indoor spaces and washing your hands. During periods of good weather being outdoors rather than indoors also helps reduce risks.

“We expect to see fluctuations in cases and it remains the case we need to learn to live with COVID, but we need to strike a sensible balance and I would ask people to take precautions while cases are on the rise. Let’s enjoy the summer and our regained freedoms but keep in mind that COVID-19 hasn’t gone away and we all need to play our part to live safely.”

How UNISON can help

UNISON’s member welfare charity, There for You, has a wide array of support services that can help members cope with the cost of living crisis.

UNISON is unique in the trade union movement in that it has its own member welfare charity, There for You, which provides a wide array of support services. Here are some that could be valuable right now.

UNISON Help with energy costs guide

This information guide contains details of organisations and schemes that can provide support and assistance, along with charities – including There for You – that may be able to give financial help towards heating bills, useful contacts and money-saving tips.

UNISON Debt Line

UNISON’s debt line, run by PayPlan, can help you deal with debt, from credit cards to mortgage arrears. It offers free, confidential advice with no hidden charges and a personal case officer to advise, with the aim to create a manageable debt plan to suit your circumstances.

Contact the UNISON debt line on Freephone: 0800 389 3302

Other financial assistance

Grants to address specific needs for members who are facing unexpected hardships can be considered.  Perhaps there’s been a recent change in your financial circumstances and help is needed, for example, with living costs, essential household bills, replacing a broken appliance or funding disability aids.

Temperature at work to hot?

As the  sun comes out and the air temperature rises the perennial issue of workplace  temperatures is a common questions asked of UNISON health and safety reps.

Here HOT off the press is our revised quick guide on Temperature at Work for H&S reps. http://ow.ly/EAij50JA95B

South East Equality Conference

You are invited to the UNISON South East Equality Conference which will help to equip your branch with the tools and resources to raise awareness of equality issues in the workplace.

After 2 years of Covid-19 putting live events on hold, we are delighted to be able to invite you back to London for the SE Equality Conference 2022, which will now take place on Friday 8 July at UNISON Centre.

With a mixture of guest speakers and workshops, we’re really looking forward to getting together again, and have a great programme planned for the day.

Equality Pay Gap Workshop

The aim of this workshop is to increase awareness of equality pay gaps, to understand that there are many ways in which workers experience a financial detriment at work, to consider the impact of equality pay gaps on workers in 2022 and beyond, work with others to identify possible areas of concern in your workplace and consider how UNISON can help to rectify this issue.

Examining Bias in Formal HR Procedures Workshop

How to use a data driven approach to establish whether there are patterns in members in HR processes, and what to do about it.

This workshop will explore the disproportionate number of branch level cases involving members with protected characteristics; what questions to ask your employer and how to use employer data to challenge bias.

How to book:

SE Equality conference is open to all activists who have in interest in equality issues in the workplace. 

Please download an application form today and seek approval from your branch.

Completed forms can to be sent to equalitySE@unison.co.uk 

The conference will run from 9:30am – 4:30pm and lunch and refreshments will be provided. Please ensure you let us know of any dietary requirements when booking your place.

Closing date for applications: 24 June 2022