Climate Change and the UK Construction Industry. How Hotter Summers Are set to Reshape the Way We Work

Summers are getting hotter. Heatwaves are lasting longer. And working conditions on UK construction sites are becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

In summer 2022, the UK recorded 40°C heat for the first time. Then 2025 became the hottest year on record. The Met Office has confirmed that the UK is now more than twice as likely to experience a hotter-than-average summer, with 2025 continuing the trend of intensifying heat from 2015 onwards. This is not a distant future concern – it is happening now.

We don’t need to wait for official figures to confirm that 2026 is likely to break all records. Official figures will most likely confirm what we already know.

The impact on the construction industry is already being felt, and it is only going to get worse.

The Climate Change Committee's recent report, 'A Well-Adapted UK', warns that by 2050, 92% of existing UK homes are likely to overheat during future heatwaves.

The construction industry is tasked with building the homes, infrastructure, and workplaces of tomorrow and it must adapt to accommodate clime change.

In this blog, I want to look at how climate change, and in particular hotter summers, is impacting the UK construction industry.

I will cover the direct risks to workers, the operational challenges facing sites, the emerging threat of vector-borne diseases and what the industry must do to prepare for the future.

The Direct Impact on Workers. Heat Stress Is Already Here

Construction work is largely a physical activity and unlike office workers, construction workers are exposed to the elements day in, day out on a greater scale.

Researchers at the University of Reading surveyed 307 construction workers and managers between April and September 2025. The findings are striking with 67% of site workers being concerned about the impact that heat has on their health, with 44% saying they have experienced a heat related illness such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, or dehydration.

A further 50% reported knowing someone at work who had also been affected.

Workers reported feeling more tired (87%), annoyed (58%), and less concentrated (61%) when the weather is hot.

Discomfort and difficulty with completing tasks started at 20 to 25°C for more than four in ten of those surveyed and those temperatures  are now commonplace during in a UK summer.

Despite this, the UK has no legally defined maximum workplace temperature.

The Health and Safety Executive requires that employers to maintain a "reasonable" temperature and to undertake risk assessments, but there is no statutory upper limit.

This leaves workers vulnerable, particularly when employers are under pressure to keep projects on schedule.

The University of Reading study also found significant gaps in protection.

Less than one in five (18%) site workers said the protective clothing they wear in summer is suitable for hot weather and only 27% had been provided with effective personal cooling equipment.

There is also a worrying gap between what managers think is happening and what workers are experiencing. For shaded rest areas, 67% of managers saw them as effective, compared with just 47% of workers. This suggests that protections do not always reach the expectations or requirements of the people who need them.

The Operational Impact, Delays, Costs, and Disruption

Heat is not just a health and safety issue. It’s also is a business continuity issue. Nearly half of managers (48%) reported that heat causes programme delays, while 55% indicated that it results in costs they had not planned for.

These delays are financial as well as operational, with 39% of UK respondents reporting penalties due to weather-related disruptions.

The Emerging Threat. Vector-Borne Diseases

There is another, less visible, threat that climate change brings to the construction industry:

Vector-borne diseases.

Vector-borne diseases are spread by parasites, viruses and bacteria which are transmitted to humans and animals by blood-feeding creatures including mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.

Warmer temperatures are likely to enable the establishment of new disease vectors in the UK, which can transmit diseases that were previously rare or non-existent.

This includes potential increases in diseases like West Nile virus, malaria and dengue.

Authors Note: This is highly dependent on how the climate continues to change.

The UK Health Security Agency has identified specific risks of a warmer climate, including increased distribution of tick species already present in the UK, including Ixodes ricinus, which transmits Lyme disease and the introduction of new species, including Aedes albopictus, a type of mosquito which can transmit several viruses including dengue, chikungunya and Zika.

The area around London is already suitable for the survival of this mosquito, and it is expected that London could become suitable for endemic dengue transmission by the 2060s.

Modelling studies suggest that, by the 2060s, the climate in London and surrounding areas will most likely help the endemic transmission of dengue fever. Researchers have also discovered that Asian tiger mosquitoes can spread the chikungunya virus when air temperatures are as low as 13°C which is cooler than previously believed.

For the construction industry, this is a significant concern.

Occupations at risk of tick-borne disease include forestry workers, electricity line maintenance workers, and windfarm construction workers.

Construction workers are among the professions most susceptible to Lyme disease.

The UK has twenty native tick species and thirty six native mosquito species. Climate change has the potential to affect vectors through increased colonisation of urban areas, increased feeding range and distribution, parasite development due to higher temperatures, and increased host infections.

West Nile virus has already been detected in mosquitoes in the UK. In 2025, the UK Health Security Agency began countrywide surveillance for mosquitoes, deploying traps across almost all 50 km² grids across England. Early surveillance of these new vectors is critical because once a non-native vector species is established, it is difficult to stop it from spreading.

The construction industry must take this threat seriously. Workers spending long hours outdoors, particularly in wooded or wetland areas, are at increased risk of tick bites.

Changes may be required to adapt to these new risks, including shifts in building design (such as screens on doors and windows), shifts in behaviour to avoid bites, and increased awareness among health services.

 The Building Challenge – Designing for a Warmer Future

The impact of climate change extends beyond the construction site to the buildings themselves. The UK's building stock is largely unprepared for the climate realities ahead.

The UK Green Building Council estimates that 80% of the buildings expected to be occupied in 2050 have already been built.

Many of these buildings were designed for a climate that no longer exists. Current building regulations alone do not deliver designs resilient enough for the hotter summers, wetter winters, and more frequent extreme events that are now forecast.

The Climate Change Committee has urged that any new construction intended to last for decades be designed to withstand up to 4°C of warming above pre-industrial levels. Yet the UK.Less than 5% of UK homes have air conditioning installed, compared with the US, which has 90% installations.

Air conditioning is not the complete answer.

For air-conditioned buildings, existing systems may not have been designed for the temperatures now being experienced. In more extreme conditions, systems can overheat and fail, removing the ability to provide cooling when it is needed most. For residential buildings, manufacturing facilities or hospitals, a loss of cooling and ventilation can become a much more serious operational risk.

Naturally ventilated buildings face a different but equally important set of risks. When the outside temperature is higher than the internal temperature, natural ventilation is no longer viable for cooling. On hotter days, windows and vents should be closed to prevent hot air from entering buildings, which has consequences beyond thermal comfort – particularly in densely occupied spaces where reduced ventilation can also affect internal air quality.

What the UK Construction Industry Is Getting Right

Despite the challenges, there are signs that the industry is beginning to respond.

There is growing recognition that heat is a hazard that must be managed like any other.

The HSE requires employers to undertake risk assessments and put in place controls to prevent issues. While there is no legal maximum temperature, employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, including from extreme heat.

Some firms are adjusting work hours, providing cooling stations, and encouraging hydration.

These are positive steps, but they are not yet widespread enough.

Where There Is Still Room for Improvement

The evidence suggests that the industry is not ready for the climate challenge ahead.

The University of Reading study found that most people take action to protect themselves and others from heat risks based on their own experience rather than from training or official guidelines.

Personal experience was the most common source of information for both workers and managers, named by 78% of each group which is is not a sustainable approach.

There is an urgent need for clearer official guidance and a maximum workplace temperature, practical training, and proactive planning and budgeting so that protecting workers from heat becomes a normal practice within the operational management of a construction project.

The International Organisation for Standardisation has recognised the need for guidance on managing climate related occupational safety and health risks, with a new Publicly Available Specification (PAS) on OSH risks arising from climate change now in development.

Guidance will only be effective if the industry adopts it.

Practical Steps for Construction Firms

Based on evidence reviewed, here are some practical steps construction firms can take now:

1. Conduct Heat Risk Assessments

Under existing health and safety legislation, employers are already required to assess risks to health and safety, including from extreme heat. Review your risk assessments to ensure they adequately address heat stress. Consider what controls are in place and whether they are effective.

2. Provide Suitable PPE and Cooling Equipment

The University of Reading study found that less than one in five site workers said their protective clothing was suitable for hot weather. Review your PPE provision and consider whether cooling vests, shaded rest areas, and access to hydration are adequate.

3. Provide Training on Heat Illness

More than half of workers surveyed had received no compulsory training on how to deal with heat. Ensure that your workforce is trained to recognise the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and knows what to do if someone is affected.

4. Consider Flexible Working Hours

London mayor Sadiq Khan is reported to be exploring flexible working hours during heatwaves to protect workers from extreme heat. Consider whether your site can adjust working hours to avoid the hottest part of the day.

5. Assess Vector-Borne Disease Risks

If your workforce spends time outdoors, particularly in wooded or wetland areas, assess the risk of tick-borne diseases. Provide information on how to avoid tick bites, how to remove ticks safely, and the symptoms of Lyme disease.

6. Design for Climate Resilience

For new projects, consider how buildings will perform under future climate scenarios. The Climate Change Committee recommends designing for up to 4°C of warming. This means considering passive cooling, shading, ventilation, and the resilience of building systems.

7. Plan for Weather-Related Disruption

Over 70% of UK construction managers have experienced major weather-related delays. Build weather resilience into project planning, including contingency for extreme heat, storms, and flooding.

Final Thoughts

Climate change is already impacting the UK construction industry. Hotter summers are causing heat-related illnesses among workers, delaying projects, and driving up costs.

The threat of vector-borne diseases is emerging as a new occupational health risk. And the buildings we are constructing today must be designed for a climate that is rapidly changing.

The evidence is clear: the industry is not ready.

Sites are unprepared and protections do not always reach the workers who need them. And there is no legal maximum temperature to protect workers from excessive heat.

But there are also opportunities. The construction industry is responsible for around 40% of global carbon emissions, but it is also the sector that can build the solutions. Climate resilient buildings, sustainable infrastructure, and adaptation measures all present opportunities for growth.

The Climate Change Committee is set to publish a detailed report in 2026, outlining what a well-adapted UK should look like and the specific steps needed to safeguard infrastructure against future climate risks.

The construction industry must engage with this process and ensure that its voice is heard.

The firms that embrace climate adaptation now and invest in worker protection, design for resilience, and plan for disruption, will be best positioned for the future.

If you require further assistance with any of the topics raised in this post,  be it conducting heat risk assessments, developing a climate adaptation strategy, or simply understanding what the changing climate means for your firm, please get in touch: Yorkshire Health and Safety