This summer has already brought periods of intense heat across the UK, pushing both people and equipment to their limits.
For cafés, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets and leisure venues, heatwaves mean more than busy terraces and sun-seeking customers – they mean fridges, chillers and cold storage units straining at breaking point just when you need them most.
Refrigeration and cooling systems are crucial in quietly keeping food safe, drinks crisp and margins healthy. Yet each time the UK enters heatwave conditions, emergency call-outs for fridge and chiller failures spike by as much as 85%.
Are you planning for success – or leaving it to chance?
Why Cooling Units Fail in a Heatwave
| Pressure Point | What Happens in a Heatwave | Why It Matters |
| Higher ambient air temperature | Condensers can’t reject heat efficiently; compressor head-pressure rises. | Components overheat, seals fatigue faster and energy use soars. |
| Excessive door opening | Staff open units more often to cope with demand; warm air floods in. | Compressors cycle more frequently, driving up energy use and accelerating wear and tear. |
| Deferred maintenance | Emergency call-outs push planned preventive maintenance (PPM) to the bottom of the list. | Small refrigerant leaks and dirty coils become catastrophic under load. |
Hot summer temperatures may expose weaknesses in your cooling chain – from ageing gaskets and overworked compressors to operational habits that compound the strain.
What a Breakdown Really Costs
A breakdown can result in the loss of substantial amounts of high-risk chilled stock in a busy kitchen.
Real-world impact: One UK business reported losing over £10,000 in projected sales after a critical freezer delivery failed ahead of a major trading event.
Direct impacts
- Wasted stock (chilled meat, dairy, prepared salads, desserts etc)
- Colleague time spent checking probes, moving stock, cleaning, discarding
- Engineer fees and possible replacement hire (often £1,000+ per week)
- Unplanned capital expense if the unit fails under pressure – often revealing pre-existing wear or deferred maintenance
Indirect impacts
- Menu reduction or full closure during peak trade
- Damaged guest experience, negative reviews, lost footfall
- Potential enforcement action or fines if unsafe food is served
- Higher insurance premiums after claims
Food Safety Compliance in Heatwaves
UK legislation requires chilled food to be stored at safe temperatures:
- England, Wales, Northern Ireland: 8?°C or below
- Scotland: No fixed temperature, but food must be stored safely
Most operators set refrigeration units to 0–5?°C to allow for fluctuations. Once food temperatures rise above safe thresholds, bacterial growth accelerates – especially around 37?°C.
Key risk windows
- Night-time failure – no one notices until the morning shift.
- Busy service – staff delay recording temperatures and the issue is discovered late.
- Delivery intake – incoming stock already above target; unit can’t recover.
Digital sensors with real-time alerts shrink each window dramatically and so does a robust manual monitoring regime.
Heat Stress in Hospitality Workplaces
There’s no legal maximum temperature for UK workplaces, but employers must maintain “reasonable” conditions.
In kitchens, temperatures can exceed 30?°C – especially near ovens and fryers. This affects performance, safety and wellbeing
Common effects include:
- Dehydration and dizziness
- Reduced concentration ? knife cuts & slips
- Heat exhaustion or, in extreme cases, heat stroke
Mitigation Measures
- Provide hydration stations and shaded rest areas Install or upgrade air conditioning in prep areas
- Use extractor fans or portable cooling units
A Continuity Playbook for Hot Weather
Operational continuity in hot weather isn’t just about fridges and chillers, it’s about people, too. While the table below focuses on refrigeration performance, any effective summer plan should consider team wellbeing alongside equipment resilience.
| Action | Why | How |
| 1. Tighten temperature checks | Early detection prevents stock loss. | Shift from twice-daily to more regular logging whenever ambient temperatures exceed 25 °C. Use wireless probes for high-risk units to enable continuous monitoring and faster detection of temperature spikes, reducing the risk of delayed intervention. |
| 2. Trigger-based escalation | Speed matters once 8 °C is exceeded. | Agree on clear operating procedures: isolate stock above 8 °C, move to contingency cooler, call engineer, log incident. |
| 3. Pre-book preventive maintenance | Cuts the breakdown curve dramatically. | Schedule coil cleaning, refrigerant leak checks and door-seal inspection. |
| 4. Build a vendor safety-net | Engineers book up fast in heatwaves. | Keep contact details for at least two refrigeration contractors plus a temporary chiller hire provider. |
| 5. Leverage multi-location resilience | Stocks need a safe haven. | Map nearest sister locations with spare cold storage; practise rapid transfer drills. |
| 6. Harness smart monitoring | Data beats guesswork. | Shield Safety’s Monitoring Module sends email alerts to nominated users when defects are logged, helping teams respond quickly. |
Supporting Team Members in the Heat: Quick Actions
| Step | Why It Matters | How to Apply |
| 1. Encourage hydration | Prevents fatigue, dizziness and mistakes | Provide chilled water, set reminders |
| 2. Adjust rotas | Reduces heat exposure | Shorten hot station shifts during peaks |
| 3. Review uniforms | Keeps staff cooler and more comfortable | Opt for lightweight, breathable uniform options where appropriate, while ensuring protective requirements are still met. |
| 4. Brief on heat stress signs | Helps teams act early | Toolbox talk or short refresher |
| 5. Create a “speak up” culture | Ensures no one suffers in silence | Make welfare a shared responsibility |
Recognising Heat Stress: Symptoms include excessive sweating, dizziness, fatigue, headache, cramps and nausea. In serious cases, confusion or fainting may occur.
Prevention starts with awareness – brief your teams and encourage breaks.
Culture Is the Ultimate Coolant
Technology and SOPs are essential – but culture drives results.
- Celebrate proactive interventions
- Run seasonal drills on fridge failure scenarios
- Include temperature KPIs in dashboards and incentives
When safety culture is strong, recovery is faster and disruption is minimised.
Final Takeaway
UK heatwaves are becoming longer, hotter and more frequent.
Ask yourself:
- How fast can we detect a fridge failure?
- Do we have a written plan for stock relocation?
- Are we supporting our teams in high-heat environments?
If not, now’s the time to act.
At Shield Safety, we help businesses stay one step ahead – with expert support, practical tools, and tailored advice to strengthen safety and reduce risk.
Get in touch here to find out how we can help your business thrive.
