The National House Building Council (NHBC) is being urged to introduce new health and safety guidelines for construction staff who work during extreme weather.

Union UCATT has called on the organisation to introduce new rules as there is no legal minimum or maximum temperature for working outside.

The union has now written to NHBC chief executive, Mike Quinton, and asked new rulings be introduced along with those it publishes for building materials. The NHBC makes it clear mortar should not be used below 2°C, whilst construction workers should "put their gloves on, get out there and suffer".

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UCATT Acting General Secretary, Brian Rye, said: "The construction industry has long put profit before people. It's a complete indictment of an industry that has temperature guidelines to safeguard materials but none whatsoever for the workers.

"This must now change. We have written to the NHBC to ask them to inject some humanity into the industry and provide clear temperature and extreme weather guidelines for constructors to apply to workers.

"In an age when we no longer send young children up chimneys to clean them, we should equally not be forcing construction workers to work in inhuman conditions."

(LM/MH)