WORKPLACES nationwide are not equipped to deal with heatwaves and are putting workers at risk as extreme weather becomes more frequent, a new report warned today.

Research from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) showed employers are pushing staff to their physical limits across Britain. 

The data revealed this to be the case for most workers, from delivery drivers to farmers, to builders.

A key factor in the lack of preparations for hot weather is that there is currently no legal maximum temperature for workplaces, the institution said.

Dr Ivan Williams Jimenez, senior policy manager at IOSH, said: “Businesses don’t have to wait around for formal upper limit rules.

“As heatwaves become more frequent and intense, the lack of no upper limit, together with a culture of poor preparation, adaptation and mitigation for heat stress in workplaces, is an issue that needs to be addressed at different levels.

“If the risk assessment process — with controls identified and implemented — is not undertaken, many workers may be left to work in conditions that are not only uncomfortable but potentially harmful to their health and safety.”

The report comes as temperatures topped 30°C today and amber heatwave alerts were issued in parts of the country, with the UK’s Health Security Agency warning of a potential rise in deaths for those aged over 65.

Residents in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex were hit with a hosepipe ban which could see them fined up to £1,000, after months of record low rainfall.