If you haven’t been asked if it’s “hot enough for ya”, are you truly experiencing an Australian summer?  We are no stranger to heatwaves, but this summer has been extra spicy with extreme weather patterns being experienced across the continent. We thought it timely to look at what your employer obligations are and how you can keep your team cool, safe, and productive.

Why is it important to think about the weather?

Heat stress isn’t just uncomfortable; it’s a serious workplace hazard. Extreme heat can lead to dehydration, dizziness, excessive sweating, heatstroke, and in severe cases, even death. It also impacts productivity, increasing absenteeism and reducing efficiency. So how can employers balance workplace safety with business needs when the mercury soars?

The legal duty to protect workers

While there are no specific laws in Australia dictating maximum working temperatures, many industries and enterprise agreements (EBAs) consider 35°C the upper limit for safe working conditions.  This generally only applies to those working outside or in conditions where there is no respite from the heat (e.g. factories, warehouses, incomplete structures under construction).

For those industries/businesses not covered by such employment instruments, the Work Health and Safety Act (2011) (WHS Act) requires that all employers must take all reasonably practicable steps to protect the health and safety of their workers.  When we consider the damaging effect of extreme heat, businesses that operate outside of climate controlled offices must determine how they will respond to conditions that may jeopardise the health of their employees as per the Act while balancing their commercial needs and obligations.

Developing a Heat Management Plan

A heat management plan helps businesses stay prepared by outlining specific measures to reduce heat-related risks. This plan should include:

1. Risk assessment – Identify potential hazards based on job roles, environment, and worker health.  Is the work based outside with no protection/shade? Does the machinery further increase the heat in the immediate vicinity? Is the work strenuous with heat conditions likely to accelerate the bodies response to extreme conditions?
   
   
2. Control measures – List practical strategies such as hydration, cooling stations, shade, clothing requirements and schedule adjustments.
   
   
3. Monitor and review – Assign and train leaders to check for heat-related illness and supply updates to the plan as needed.
   

Hot tips for cool workplaces

Not all of us get to sit comfortably in an air conditioned office so for those who are at the mercy of the weather conditions, following are some easy to achieve (and budget-friendly) strategies to beat the heat

• Hydration Station: Stock up on icy poles, ice cubes, frozen water bottles, and hydrolyte.
  
  
• Dress for Success: Provide lightweight, breathable clothing (cotton is best) and sun protection (hats, sunglasses, sunscreen). Offer cooling vests or neck coolers to help regulate body temperature.
  
  
• Fan Club: Heavy-duty fans + air-conditioned break rooms where possible = happy humans.
  
  
• Flexible Hours: Adjust working hours to allow for earlier starts and finishes, avoiding peak heat.
  
   
• Sun Smarts: Keep doors shut, schedule shade breaks, and remind everyone to sip water every 15 minutes (even if they’re “not thirsty”).
  
  
• Regular breaks and monitoring:  Allow for additional short breaks in extreme heat and train supervisors to recognise signs of heat stress and check in on workers regularly.
  

Heat safety is win/win

Let’s face it, Australian summers can make you feel like you are stuck in an overheated sauna so protecting employees from extreme heat isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s good business. A comfortable, safe workforce is more engaged, productive, and less likely to require sick leave. Further, investing in worker well-being builds a positive workplace culture, boosting retention and morale.

With a little planning (and a lot of icy poles), you’ll keep your team safe, healthy, as well as productive. Remember, happy employees stick around and nobody wants a reputation as the boss who mistook “heatwave” for “team-building exercise.”

To help you out, you can download our poster (below) with some key reminders about how to manage the heat. Pop it up wherever you have employee communications.

If you need support developing a policy for extreme weather or perhaps assessing the risk weather can create within your business, please contact the HR Staff n’ Stuff team for assistance.