Maximum Workplace Temperatures: Government Confirms Policy Work Is Live — Bus Cabs Must Not Be Left Out

There are some Freedom of Information responses that quietly close a door.

And there are others that open one.

The latest response I have received from the Department for Work and Pensions is one of the important ones.

For months, I have been asking a simple question:

When Government talks about workplace heat, does it understand that a bus cab is a workplace?

Not a normal workplace.

Not an office.

Not a factory.

Not a shop.

A safety-critical, mobile workplace where a driver may be expected to sit for hours in live traffic, carrying passengers, managing hazards, dealing with pressure, and staying alert while the cab temperature rises into the high 30s or 40s.

That question now matters more than ever.

The DWP FOI response can be read in full here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bEnFi2VPrw5GtQOmGS0sAbLZyZJZJ9H4/view?usp=drivesdk

I have included the full response so readers can see the wording for themselves, rather than relying only on my summary.

DWP has confirmed that it holds information falling within the scope of my request.

That request was not general.

It was specifically about excessive workplace heat affecting transport workers.

It included occupational heat exposure affecting workers operating vehicles.

It asked whether current workplace temperature rules or guidance adequately protect transport workers.

It asked whether the exclusion of vehicles from the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 creates a regulatory or practical gap.

It asked whether additional national guidance, legislation, regulatory change or employer obligations have been considered for transport workers exposed to excessive heat.

And DWP has confirmed that it holds information.

But it has refused disclosure under Section 35(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act, because the information relates to the formulation or development of Government policy.

That is significant.

Because DWP then says something even more important.

The information requested is directly being used to help develop Government policy relating to maximum workplace temperatures, and a decision has not yet been made.

Read that carefully.

Government policy work on maximum workplace temperatures is live.

The issue is not theoretical.

It is not fringe.

It is not just something campaigners, workers, unions and journalists are talking about on the outside.

It is now part of live Government policy development.

That changes the conversation.

This Is The Moment Transport Workers Must Be Heard

DWP says the policy is at an early stage of development, with the next stage being a public consultation.

That matters.

Because if there is going to be a public consultation on maximum workplace temperatures, then bus drivers, coach drivers and other transport workers must be part of it from the start.

This cannot be a consultation written only around offices, shops, warehouses and factories.

It must include mobile workplaces.

Bus cabs.

Coach cabs.

Train cabs.

Delivery vehicles.

Refuse vehicles.

Emergency service vehicles.

Any enclosed working environment where the worker cannot simply walk away from the heat.

Because that is the danger.

The debate around maximum workplace temperatures is absolutely welcome.

But if it is designed around traditional indoor workplaces only, it risks missing some of the workers most exposed to heat risk.

A bus driver sitting in a cab at 40°C is not less exposed because the workplace has wheels.

A driver responsible for passengers in live traffic is not less at risk because the workplace is moving.

A cab is a workplace.

And where that cab becomes dangerously hot, it becomes a workplace safety issue.

The Regulatory Gap Is Now In Plain Sight

This DWP response does not stand alone.

It sits alongside other evidence that points towards a wider problem.

The Department for Transport has already confirmed, in response to a separate FOI request, that it does not hold the requested final briefings, policy papers, formal assessments or correspondence with HSE and DVSA on heat-related risks affecting bus and PSV drivers.

The Minister for Roads and Buses has acknowledged that high temperatures in buses, including driver cabs, have safety and welfare implications.

Yet the current national position still leans heavily on operators, old vehicle regulations, and wording around “adequate ventilation”.

That is not enough.

Ventilation is not cooling.

A fan blowing hot air around is not protection.

An open window in hot traffic is not a heat safety system.

A technically compliant vehicle can still be unsafe in real-world heat.

Now DWP has confirmed that maximum workplace temperature policy is being developed.

So the question becomes urgent:

Will that policy recognise the reality of transport work?

Or will bus drivers fall through the gap again?

The Workplace Regulations Problem

One of the specific issues I raised with DWP was whether the exclusion of vehicles from the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 creates a regulatory or practical gap.

That is a crucial question.

Because if workplace temperature protections are built around premises, buildings and fixed workplaces, then mobile workers can be left relying on weaker, fragmented or unclear protections.

For bus drivers, that is not good enough.

The cab is where the work happens.

The cab is where the heat builds.

The cab is where the driver must remain alert.

The cab is where fatigue, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, heavy sweating, blurred vision, loss of concentration or heat exhaustion can become a direct safety risk.

So any maximum workplace temperature policy that does not properly deal with vehicle cabs will be incomplete from day one.

The law must not create a two-tier system where workers in buildings are protected more clearly than workers in vehicles.

Heat risk does not disappear because the workplace has a registration plate.

Why Bus Drivers Are Different

A bus driver cannot simply move to a cooler room.

A bus driver cannot freely leave the workplace whenever symptoms start.

A bus driver cannot abandon passengers.

A bus driver cannot ignore the timetable without consequences.

A bus driver cannot choose a different workstation.

A bus driver cannot always rely on air conditioning, especially where vehicles are older, defective, poorly designed or only fitted with weak ventilation.

A bus driver cannot safely “just carry on” if heat is affecting concentration, breathing, alertness or reaction times.

This is why the issue is not simply “how hot is uncomfortable?”

The real question is:

How hot is too hot to safely drive a bus full of passengers?

That is a different question.

And it needs a different answer.

The Evidence From Drivers Is Already There

Across the industry, drivers are reporting the same themes.

Cab temperatures around 40°C and above.

Cooling systems ineffective or not fitted.

Fans blowing hot air.

Heating or ventilation systems that do not manage real-world heat.

Drivers feeling dizzy.

Drivers feeling sick.

Drivers vomiting.

Drivers becoming breathless.

Drivers struggling to concentrate.

Drivers zoning out.

Drivers feeling exhausted or like they may fall asleep.

Drivers with asthma, COPD, heart conditions, high blood pressure or medication-related vulnerability finding the heat harder to manage.

This is not ordinary discomfort.

These are warning signs.

In a safety-critical industry, warning signs should trigger action.

Not silence.

Not delay.

Not pay deductions.

Not “own request”.

Not “not completed”.

Not “drink water and carry on”.

Government Must Not Treat Transport As An Afterthought

The DWP response confirms that the information requested is directly being used to help develop Government policy on maximum workplace temperatures.

That means the Government has an opportunity to get this right.

But it also means campaigners, unions, workers, safety representatives, medical experts and passengers need to make sure transport workers are not left out.

The public consultation must specifically ask about mobile workplaces and safety-critical transport roles.

It must consider:

Bus cabs.

Coach cabs.

Professional drivers.

Passenger-carrying vehicles.

Drivers with medical vulnerabilities.

Cab temperature monitoring.

Cooling system standards.

Ventilation versus actual cooling.

Paid recovery time.

Vehicle withdrawal or changeover.

Defect reporting.

Protection from loss of pay or detriment.

Employer duties during heat alerts.

Local transport authority and operator responsibilities.

The role of DfT, HSE, DVSA, Traffic Commissioners and transport authorities.

Because if the consultation only asks general workplace questions, the answers may miss the realities of the road.

Operators Also Need To Be Put Under The Microscope

This is not only about Government.

Operators also need scrutiny.

If an operator sends a bus into service during extreme heat, the question should not simply be whether the vehicle is technically legal.

The questions should be:

What is the cab temperature?

Does the cooling system work?

Has the vehicle been defected before?

Has the fan or ventilation been checked?

Is the driver medically vulnerable?

Has the driver reported symptoms?

Is the driver being expected to carry on?

Will the driver lose pay if they cannot safely continue?

Is there a written heat procedure?

Is there paid recovery time?

Is there a vehicle changeover process?

Is the operator recording and learning from heat-related incidents?

Are local transport authorities asking these questions?

Are public contracts and enhanced partnerships building in heat safety standards?

Because without proper standards, the same risk just gets pushed from one driver to another.

A hot bus does not become safe because a different driver is put in the seat.

That is not risk control.

That is risk transfer.

The Direction Of Travel Is Clear

There are signs that parts of the industry are beginning to move.

Some operators are now starting to formalise hot and cold bus procedures.

Those procedures recognise that vehicle temperature affects driver wellbeing, concentration, passenger comfort, passenger safety and safe operation.

They recognise that drivers who feel unwell due to extreme temperatures should stop safely and report it.

They recognise that vulnerable employees may need additional controls or adjustments.

They recognise that paid recovery time may be necessary.

That matters.

Because it proves these ideas are not unrealistic.

They are not extreme.

They are not impossible.

They are basic health and safety controls.

If one part of the industry can begin recognising this, then the national framework must catch up.

What A Proper National Standard Should Include

A serious national approach to maximum workplace temperatures for transport workers should include:

Clear maximum cab temperature thresholds.

Mandatory cab temperature monitoring.

Working cab cooling and ventilation standards.

Defect procedures for failed cooling, failed fans, failed ventilation or heating stuck on.

Vehicle changeover or withdrawal where cab temperatures become unsafe.

Passenger saloon temperature monitoring.

Paid recovery time where drivers become unwell.

Access to drinking water.

Access to cool rest areas.

Uniform policies suitable for extreme heat.

Specific protection for medically vulnerable drivers.

Clear rules for control rooms, lead drivers and managers.

Protection from loss of pay, blame or detriment where drivers raise genuine heat-related safety concerns.

Trade union and driver representative involvement.

Public accountability through operators, regulators and transport authorities.

This is not special treatment.

It is basic risk management.

The Consultation Must Not Miss The People Behind The Wheel

The DWP response says the next stage is public consultation.

That consultation must hear from the people who actually work in the heat.

Not just policymakers.

Not just employers.

Not just trade bodies.

Drivers.

Safety reps.

Union branches.

Passenger groups.

Disabled transport users.

Medical experts.

Transport authorities.

Because bus heat is not only a driver issue.

It is also a passenger issue.

Disabled passengers, older passengers, children, pregnant passengers and people with medical conditions are also exposed when buses become dangerously hot.

And the person expected to keep that vehicle safe is often the driver sitting in the hottest, most exposed position.

Driver welfare is passenger safety.

That phrase is not a slogan.

It is a safety principle.

Conclusion: The Door Is Open — Now We Must Force Transport Through It

The DWP FOI response is important because it confirms that Government policy work on maximum workplace temperatures is live.

It confirms that information about excessive workplace heat affecting transport workers is held.

It confirms that the next stage is expected to be public consultation.

That is the opening.

Now the challenge is to make sure transport workers are not left outside the room.

Bus drivers must not be an afterthought.

Vehicle cabs must not be forgotten.

Safety-critical mobile workplaces must not be excluded from proper temperature protection.

The Government now has the opportunity to develop a policy that recognises the real world of work in a changing climate.

It must take it.

Because the question is no longer just:

How hot is too hot?

For bus drivers, the question is:

How hot is too hot to safely carry passengers?

Too hot to travel?

Too hot to drive.

Driver welfare is passenger safety.

Source

DWP FOI Response FOI2026/54309 — Excessive workplace heat affecting transport workers
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bEnFi2VPrw5GtQOmGS0sAbLZyZJZJ9H4/view?usp=drivesdk

About the author

Lee Odams is a bus driver with nearly two decades in the industry. He is Branch Secretary of the RMT Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Bus Branch and Secretary of the RMT National Industrial Organising Conference of Bus Workers.

He campaigns on bus driver welfare, heat exposure, safety, toilet access, working conditions, public transport policy and stronger national standards for bus workers.

Disclaimer

This article is written in my personal capacity as a bus driver, trade union activist and transport safety campaigner. The views expressed are my own. It is not written as an official statement on behalf of RMT, my employer, or any other organisation unless explicitly stated.

Tags

Maximum Workplace Temperature, Bus Driver Heat Safety, Bus Cab Temperatures, Hot Buses, DWP FOI, Workplace Heat, Transport Workers, Mobile Workplaces, Driver Welfare, Passenger Safety, Public Transport Safety, Health and Safety, HSE, DfT, DVSA, Traffic Commissioners, RMT, Heat Stress, Extreme Heat, Cab Cooling, Climate Change, Too Hot To Travel, Too Hot To Drive