Did You Know?

It was once famously said "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun”, yet many of us have no choice to but to grin and bear it (unless of course, you are one of the Queen’s Guard in which case you are not allowed to grin, and will be bearing an oversized fur hat all day)

But for the rest of us here’s ten things you may not know about the summer…

1: Water consumption during the hot spell has increased by 200 million litres per day. This is the equivalent of supplying an extra 800,000 people every day. While we’re on the topic, a sprinkler uses more water in an hour than a family of four does in a day.

2: For every 10% increase in temperature, there will be a similar increase in absence.

3: Almost eight in ten employers surveyed are stating office temperature is a massive issue this summer – yet there is no legal maximum workplace temperature.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 lay down particular requirements for most aspects of the working environment. Regulation 7 deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces. However, it does not stipulate a maximum temperature.

4: The Met Office says there is a 30% chance that temperatures in south-east England will exceed the record temperature of 38.5C (101F) -which was recorded on 10th August in Faversham, Kent, 2003.

5: Eastbourne set the record of 383.9 hours of sunshine during July 1911

6: In bumblebee hives the entire colony, except for the queen, dies at the end of each summer. Each year an entirely new colony of bees must be produced.

7: A rare subtropical plant spotted in central London has been thriving under the heat wave. The solanum laciniatum, commonly known as the Kangaroo Apple, was found by residents in Churchill Gardens estate in the borough of Westminster. The small shrub with ornate purple flowers and red berry-like fruit is native to south-eastern Australia.

8: The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust, which includes experts in sunburn, has argued that rubbing sun cream into the skin does not offer the best protection from the sun. It says letting a white film dry on is much better.

9: One out of every five ice cream eaters share their treat with their dog or cat.

10: Because of thermal expansion the Eiffel Tower is 15cm taller in summer.

P.S: Keep an eye out for Epic's forthcoming Epic Professional suite of e-learning courseware, designed to help organisations and individuals within both public and private sectors understand and react to the implication of forthcoming legislation and regulation, including absenteeism in the workplace.