Britain experienced the hottest temperatures ever recorded in July as most of Europe melted in soaring temperatures; the heat has made a return this week.

As the initial widespread enthusiasm for the unusual summer heat has given way to concerns over the impact it could have on a country almost completely unprepared for such hot weather.

In the face of the country's first-ever extreme heat warning last month, British workers’ union GMB called for a "too hot to work" law to be passed as soon as possible to protect labourers from being forced to work under scorching, dangerously unhealthy temperatures.

Their appeal has raised the question: when is it too hot to work, and why don’t we have more rules about it?

In the UK, there is no regulation defining how hot a workplace has to be before a worker can justifiably ask to be sent home (and douse themselves in an ice bath).

Health and safety guidelines require the workplace to be “comfortable”, but only excessive cold is defined, stating temperatures shouldn’t fall below 16 degrees Celsius in an office environment, or 13 degrees if the work is physically demanding.

There’s no mention of an upper limit, which was probably not considered necessary a few decades ago, but which is now a burning issue.

Surprisingly, countries that are much more used to high temperatures are not much better prepared.

At the European Union level, there is no common rule defining the maximum temperature permitted in the workplace. But some countries...

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