Poland to enforce temperature caps for workplaces from 2027

Poland's Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has drafted a regulation that would set strict temperature limits for workplaces, slated to take effect on 1 January 2027. Under the proposal, work must be halted when indoor temperatures exceed 35 °C or when heavy outdoor work faces temperatures above 32 °C. Employers would be required to provide cooling measures, ventilation, and organisational adjustments such as extra breaks, shortened shifts or early closures. Workers retain full pay during mandatory stoppages.

The draft also defines lower trigger points – 28 °C indoors and 25 °C outdoors – at which employers must supply drinking water throughout the shift. Certain professions are exempt, including police, fire‑fighters, border guards, prison staff, special‑service agents, military personnel, rescue teams during emergencies, and staff caring for children under three years old, as well as other essential public‑interest tasks. The regulation aims to protect employee health amid increasingly frequent heat waves and is currently undergoing the legislative process.