Soaring temperatures across the UK have seen those working in hot kitchens to call for changes to employment guidelines to protect them from the heat.
Multiple bakeries and restaurants have been forced to either reduce their hours or close their doors entirely as a result of the hot weather. It’s expected that the UK will have the hottest day in June ever recorded with temperatures potentially hitting 40C in some parts.
The Met Office have issued red warnings for the heatwave. The last red warning being in 2022 when the UK record temperature was recorded at 40.3C.
Closure announcement
Food Works, a Manchester-based café, announced on Instagram: “As many of you know, we are expecting another heatwave this week, with temperatures forecast to reach 35-36 degrees. Unfortunately, we struggled yesterday due to insufficient air conditioning combined with the extreme heat generated in the kitchen. The working conditions became unbearably hot, and we feel it would be unfair and unsafe to ask our staff to continue working in those temperatures.
“For this reason, we have made the difficult decision to close the kitchen for a few days.” It went on to explain that “while we understand this will have an impact on the business, the health, wellbeing and safety of our team must come first. The kitchen became extremely hot yesterday, and with temperatures expected to rise by a further 10 degrees, it is simply not safe to operate.”
Others adjusting the way they work
The Caterer has listed multiple other businesses that have had to adjust their work patterns to combat the heat.
Robins Pie & Mash, which runs six sites across the south of England has closed its Chelmsford, Romford and Chingford eateries to ensure that their staff have “a break from the hot kitchens”
Toad Bakery in Camberwell closed its doors on Wednesday due to “crazy temps” and plans to serve a limited menu over reduced hours for the rest of the week.
Putney-based Kaffee London have halved their opening hours as they admit that its “little café isn’t quite prepared for the London heatwave”.
Of course, the heatwave isn’t just confined to London, however. Nemo’s in Leicester has also had to introduce hour-long breaks in which their kitchen is closed due to “extreme heat”.
Is there a legal maximum temperature for UK workplaces?
Sadly, no.
Contrary to what many think, there also isn’t a minimum legal temperature. Instead, there is merely official guidance that workplaces should be a minimum of 16C (or 13C if used for physical work).
Each heatwave brings the debate back to the fore though, and if we see more in quick succession, perhaps pressure will build on policymakers to act upon it. Trade unions have previously campaigned for a maximum of 30C (27C for physical work).
Despite there being no legal maximum temperature, employers are still required to safeguard the health and wellbeing of their workers.
Not an ideal time for kitchens to be closing
We’ve published countless articles about the struggles of the hospitality industry over the last few years, and the decision to close for even half a day won’t have come easily for those struggling to keep afloat.
It leaves many commercial kitchen owners with another difficult choice: do they keep things as they are and hope that such heatwaves don’t become too regular, or do they plump for installing expensive air-conditioning units to negate the need for closing during hot weather?
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