The Met Office recently announced that the UK has higher than normal chances of heatwaves this summer, yet the UK still has no legal maximum working temperature, and outdoor tradespeople have no enforceable right to stop work in extreme heat
To highlight the risk, new research from Protectivity has revealed where and when outdoor tradespeople face the most dangerous working conditions, with 12 August coming out as the most dangerous day of the year.
Analysing weather data across UK cities, the research identifies both the highest risk locations and the specific calendar dates most likely to put outdoor workers in danger.
When heat becomes a hazard for outdoor workers
Despite more than 100 million working hours estimated to be lost to heat stress across the British labour force, there is currently no legal maximum working temperature in the UK.
While other European countries enforce upper limits beyond which outdoor work must pause, UK employers are only required to maintain a ‘reasonable’ temperature, with no legal definition and no enforceable upper limit.
Construction workers are particularly vulnerable to heat stress because they undertake physically demanding tasks outdoors, often while wearing personal protective equipment and with limited access to shade and water.
Which areas are the most dangerous?
To reveal both the locations and the dates carrying the greatest risk, the research examined historical weather data where temperatures hit 27°C or above for at least two hours during the working day (6am–6pm).
The same data was then broken down by individual calendar date to reveal which days of summer are statistically most likely to see dangerous temperatures for outdoor workers, using the 27°C threshold that the TUC recommends strenuous outdoor work should stop at.
St Albans in Hertfordshire tops the table as the most dangerous city for tradespeople working outdoors in summer, recording an average of 47 days where temperatures reach dangerous levels during working hours.
Urban areas also face a compounded risk due to the ‘heat island effect’, where concrete, tarmac and traffic push temperatures up several degrees, as London comes in second place with 45 days of dangerous temperatures recorded, followed by Oxford (37°C) and Cambridge (37°C).
However, it isn’t just where tradespeople work that increases their risk this summer; it’s also when. Across the full study period, 12 August stands out as the single most dangerous working day of the summer, registering a total of 61 days where the temperature reached 27°C over the last three years.
Chris Trotman, underwriting manager at Protectivity, commented: “What makes this research particularly striking is that the risk isn’t concentrated in one place or one month, and it’s actually spread across cities many wouldn’t necessarily flag as heat hotspots, and it also starts earlier in the summer than most people would assume.
“Self-employed tradespeople in particular, who make up the largest self-employed workforce of any sector in the UK, have no employer to mandate rest breaks or enforce a heat policy on their behalf.
“The data makes clear this isn’t a niche risk and for tradespeople working outdoors right now, this is a very present and very real danger.”
Clearer guidance is needed when working during heatwaves
Writing for PBC Today, Dr Alba Fuertes, associate professor at the University of Reading’s School of the Built Environment, warned that the UK construction industry can no longer ignore heat.
Fuertes said that the lack of sector-specific guidance creates uncertainty and leads to inconsistent approaches between projects and organisations.
Protecting workers’ health must remain the priority, but the consequences of heat extend well beyond wellbeing. Fatigue, reduced concentration and slower work rates affect productivity, quality, programme delivery and project costs, with many project managers already reporting delays and additional expenditure during hot weather.
Protecting outdoor tradespeople and maintaining productivity should therefore be viewed as complementary objectives.
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