Is your Business Prepared for the Upcoming Heatwave?

With temperatures predicted to soar across the UK in the coming days, it's important to take precautions to keep your business, people and customers safe. Extreme heat can have a serious impact on productivity, pose health risks to your staff, and potentially damage sensitive equipment. Ensure you are fully prepared for the upcoming summer heatwave with our tips to consider below:

Preparing your business for a heatwave

Building and Ventilation

• Ensure your air conditioning systems are clean and properly serviced to work optimally.
• Review your workplace ventilation systems and ensure they're functioning properly.
• Use natural air ventilation wherever possible by opening windows or selecting fresh air rather than recirculation in air conditioning systems.
• Install blinds or reflective film on windows that receive direct sunlight.

Equipment

• PAT test fans or cooling towers before use, avoid daisy-chaining plugs, and check for trip hazards from trailing wires.
• Check electrical equipment as overheating cables can be a risk in extreme heat.

People

• Create a heatwave emergency kit containing essentials such as additional water supplies, cooling packs, portable fans, and first aid supplies.
• Consider flexible working arrangements to avoid peak heat periods.
• Provide ample drinking water stations throughout your workplace.
• Consider vulnerable workers who may need reasonable adjustments during extreme heat.

Risk management

• For the latest weather updates, sign up for alerts from the Met Office.
• Review and update your risk assessments to account for extreme heat conditions.

Get prepared now

While we hope that it won't be needed, it's wise to get to terms with your insurance details when extreme heat conditions strike. Make sure you're aware of what you need

to do and who you need to contact when it comes to making a claim, from gathering evidence to reporting, as this will be key to ensuring a swift and simple claims process. If you want any information on this, just get in touch with your broker and/or insurer or check your policy documents.

Taking a few simple precautions now can help prevent costly disruption to your business.

How commercial property insurance can protect during extreme heat

It's important to have the right commercial property insurance in place, so you're protected if the worst happens. This will help to protect your property against heat-related damage, and offers public liability cover in the event of someone being injured on your property due to heat-related incidents.

At Towergate Insurance, we offer policies for a wide range of commercial properties, taking a tailored approach to ensure your policy fits your needs.  Want to know more? Get in touch on 0330 828 5378 or visit towergateinsurance.co.uk.

About the author

Alison Wild BCom (Hons), FMAAT, MATT, Taxation Technician is a highly respected industry professional who has been working with and advising SMEs in areas including tax, pensions, insurance and marketing for over 25 years. She is a Fellow member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) and also has 20 years' experience as a residential landlord.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems, we recommend that professional advice be sought.