By midday on Wednesday, the scaffold tubes in Bristol were “burning hot” — and the workers handling them had already been on the job since 6am. They called an early finish. Just hours earlier, temperatures across parts of the West had passed 33C (91.4F), and for those labouring outdoors there was no escape.
Lewis Winkworth, a scaffolder from Straight up Scaffolding, was still on site at 1pm, describing himself and his team as “melting hot”. “It’s a hard game anyway what we do,” he said. “But this heat makes it twice as hard.” The earlier start had made little difference: “It’s already super hot when you wake up.” Along with harnesses, hard hats and hi-vis, their safety kit now includes suncream and plenty of water bottles.
“Outdoor workers in the West are downing tools early as temperatures pass 33C, with no legal workplace heat limit in place.”
For Ben Harrison, founder of Gloucestershire solar panel installer Mypower, the struggle is writ large on the rooftops where his crews fit panels. “The temperature of that heat reflecting off the roof is significant,” he explained. “Here we are in the middle of the summer, and they are like cats on a hot tin roof, dare I say it.”
Mypower has protocols that kick in at 30C — extra water breaks, cool boxes carried onto the roof. But with rooftop temperatures now well over 35C in full sun, the company has been shortening working days. Teams start at 6am, two hours earlier than normal, and finish at noon instead of 4.30pm. That, Harrison admitted, is costing the firm money. “We’ve had to delay a job, slow things down, and be working short time, but we’ve got to look after the guys that work for us.”
Yet there is no law telling employers to call a halt when the heat records are broken. Bus drivers in the region reported their uncooled cabs are well over 40C (104F). So what are companies doing to keep staff cool? For now, the answer is earlier starts, extra water, and a recognition that the sun does not relent. The crews keep working — but the shorter days are hitting productivity, and the question of whether the law should set a limit remains unanswered as the heatwave continues.