Working in extreme heat: what businesses should check before staff are put at risk

Extreme heat can quickly turn normal work into a safety, liability and continuity issue. For transport, trade and fleet businesses, the question is not whether the weather feels unusual. It is whether the risk has been assessed before drivers, warehouse teams, yard staff or travelling employees are put in harm’s way.

The Health and Safety Executive used the June heat-health alert to remind employers that heat is a workplace hazard. There is no single legal maximum temperature for every workplace, but employers still need to assess the risk and take reasonable steps to protect their people.

For businesses with staff on the road, in depots, in yards or moving between sites, this is more than a comfort issue. Heat can affect concentration, fatigue, hydration and judgement. For anyone operating vehicles, loading goods, using equipment or working around moving traffic, those effects can create problems quickly.

 

Why heat risk matters in practice

Heat rarely arrives as a neat office problem.

It shows up in cabs, depots, yards, loading bays, temporary sites, customer premises and overnight travel plans. A driver may spend hours in a hot cab, then move between exposed loading areas and air-conditioned buildings. A warehouse team may be lifting, checking stock or handling pallets in a building that holds heat through the afternoon.

Office staff can also be affected. Poor ventilation, direct sunlight, retained heat and limited cooling can make indoor work uncomfortable or unsafe, especially where people are doing physical tasks.

The Met Office warning in June also showed the wider business risk. High temperatures can put pressure on travel, communications, power and water. For operators, that can affect route planning, delivery times, driver welfare, staffing and customer commitments.

In real terms, extreme heat can become an operational problem before it becomes an insurance problem. It can slow work down, increase absence, affect decision-making and make normal routines harder to manage safely.

 

Where cover gets tested

Insurance does not replace the duty to manage workplace risk.

If a business knows staff are exposed to high temperatures, the first question after an incident may be whether reasonable controls were in place. The second may be whether those controls were recorded.

Group Personal Accident cover can provide benefits following accidental injury or death, depending on the policy wording, selected options and circumstances. It is not a substitute for health and safety management. It also will not answer every employment, liability or regulatory question that may follow a heat-related incident.

For fleet operators, heat can also create indirect motor and goods risks. A tired or dehydrated driver is more likely to make a mistake. A delayed route can affect delivery conditions. A roadside breakdown in high temperatures can put staff in a more exposed situation.

Goods may also be affected where heat changes the condition of the load, increases delay, or creates handling problems. Whether any loss is insured will depend on the cover arranged, policy wording, exclusions and the facts of the incident.

This is where records matter. A short note showing route changes, extra breaks, water provision, shaded loading arrangements or adjusted start times can be useful if a claim, complaint or investigation follows.

 

Broker perspective

Where businesses get caught out is often in the gap between policy and reality.

The risk assessment says one thing, but the shift pattern, vehicle plan or site setup tells another story. A business may have a written heat policy, but drivers may not know what to do if a cab becomes uncomfortable or a loading bay becomes exposed during the hottest part of the day.

Another common issue is assuming heat risk only applies to outdoor workers. HSE guidance is clear that indoor workers can be affected too, especially where ventilation is poor or work is physically demanding.

For employers, the most useful approach is usually simple and practical. Identify who is exposed, decide what can be changed, brief managers clearly, and keep evidence that the business acted before the problem became a claim.

For transport businesses, that also means thinking beyond the depot. Drivers may be working alone, away from direct supervision and under pressure to keep to delivery slots. That makes clear instructions more important, not less.

 

What to check now

• Review which roles are exposed to heat, including drivers, loaders, warehouse staff, site teams and employees travelling for work.
• Check whether shifts, breaks, loading times or routes can be adjusted during hot periods.
• Make sure drinking water, shade, ventilation and rest arrangements are available and understood.
• Brief supervisors on heat stress signs, reporting routes and when work should be paused or changed.
• Check whether drivers know what to do if they become unwell, a cab becomes too hot, or a roadside delay leaves them exposed.
• Review whether temperature-sensitive goods, delivery windows or customer site rules create extra pressure during hot weather.
• Check how your Personal Accident, motor, goods in transit and liability policies may respond to heat-related incidents, subject to wording and circumstances.
• Keep a simple record of decisions made during weather warnings, especially where normal working patterns change.

 

Talk to Ratcliffes

If extreme heat is changing the way your people work, travel or drive, it is worth checking whether your cover still matches the real exposure. Call Ratcliffes on 01242 544544 to review your Personal Accident, commercial vehicle or related business insurance against how your staff are working now.

 

Sources

• Health and Safety Executive, “Risks to workers from extreme heat must be managed”, 19 June 2026.
• Health and Safety Executive, “Temperature in the workplace: Is it too hot or cold to work?”
• HSE, “Temperature in the workplace: What the law says”.
• Met Office, “Red Extreme Heat Warning in force as record-breaking June temperatures forecast”, 24 June 2026.
• The Guardian, “Record-breaking heat expected in parts of UK this week, says Met Office”, 21 June 2026.