UK heatwave: Is there such a thing as it being too hot to work?

Ben Harrison’s firm, ‘Mypower’ is powered by the sun, so he feels he cannot complain about it.

His teams fit solar panels to the rooftops of farms and factories across the country, cutting their electric bills and carbon emissions.

But in the heatwave, there is no escape from the sun on a roof.

“The temperature of that heat reflecting off the roof is significant,” Harrison explained.

“We need to look after those guys out there. Here we are in the middle of the summer, and they are like cats on a hot tin roof, dare I say it.”

Like many firms, Mypower has protocols that kick in at 30C – extra water breaks, cool boxes carried onto the roof and so on. But with rooftop temperatures now well over 35C and in full sun, they have been shortening their working days this week.

The teams now start at 06:00, two hours earlier than normal, and finish at noon instead of 16:30. This, 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.”