--- title: "Bakery Heat Stress: Summer Monitoring & Controls" description: Summer raises heat stress risk in commercial bakeries. Understand how monitoring helps assess actual conditions. image: https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/bakery-heat-stress.png --- - [Training](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/training) - [Service & Calibration](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-service-calibration-uk) - [Hire](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-hire-uk) - [Customer Support](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/customer-support) - About Us - [About Shawcity](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/about-shawcity) - [Vacancies](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/shawcity-careers) - Resources - [Events](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/events) - [News](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news) - [Contact Us](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/contact) [![Shawcity Logo](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Brand%20Logos/NEW%20colour%20logo%2c%2050%20and%20strap.png?height=70&name=NEW%20colour%20logo%2c%2050%20and%20strap.png)](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/) [Login](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/account/login) - Gas Detection - [Portable Gas Detection](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/portable-gas) - [Fixed Gas Detection](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/fixed-gas) - [Ground Gas/ Contaminated Land](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/ground-gas-contaminated-land) - [Calibration Gas](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/calibration-gas) - [Air Quality & Dust](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/air-quality-and-dust) - [Fit Testing](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/fit-testing) - [OEM Gas Sensors](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/oem-gas-sensors) - [Chromium-6](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/chromium-6-detection) - [Drug & Alcohol](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/drugs-alcohol-testing) - [Accessories](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/accessories) [![Shawcity Logo](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Brand%20Logos/NEW%20colour%20logo%2c%2050%20and%20strap.png?height=70&name=NEW%20colour%20logo%2c%2050%20and%20strap.png)](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/) ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/hamburger-icon.svg) ![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/menu-close.svg) Menu - Products - [Portable Gas Detection](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/portable-gas) - [Fixed Gas Detection](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/fixed-gas-monitoring) - [Ground Gas/Contaminated Land](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/ground-gas-contaminated-land) - [Air Quality & Dust](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/air-quality-and-dust) - [Fit Testing](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/fit-testing) - [OEM Gas Sensors](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/oem-gas-sensors) - [Chromium-6](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/chromium-6-detection) - [Drugs & Alcohol](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/drugs-alcohol-testing) - [Accessories](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/accessories) - [Calibration Gas](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/calibration-gas) - [Training](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/training) - [Service & Calibration](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-service-calibration-uk) - [Hire](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-hire-uk) - [Customer Support](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/customer-support) - About Us - [About Shawcity](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/about-shawcity) - [Vacancies](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/shawcity-careers) - Resources - [Brochure](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Shawcity%20overview%20brochure%20MAR%2025%20web.pdf) - [News & Events](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news) [CONTACT US](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/contact) ##### [**Guides & Insights**](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/tag/guides-insights) # Bakery Heat Stress: Summer Monitoring & Controls **Shawcity**|18 August 2026 ![](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/bakery-heat-stress.png) Commercial and industrial bakeries run hot year-round. Ovens, proofers and mixing equipment generate heat regardless of the season. What changes in summer is the baseline. When ambient temperatures rise, the margin between normal working conditions and those that create heat stress risk narrows, and that warrants attention. The HSE specifically identifies bakeries as workplaces where heat stress can be an issue all year round, noting that some workers face heightened risk during hot summer months. For bakery HSE and production teams, summer is not the time to introduce heat management from scratch. It is the period when existing arrangements need reviewing to confirm they remain adequate.   **Why Bakeries Carry Particular Risk** The heat burden in a bakery rarely comes from a single source. Deck and tunnel ovens produce significant radiant heat, and workers loading and unloading product, particularly near open oven mouths, are exposed to radiant heat that a standard air thermometer will not capture. Proofers present a different challenge: proofing environments typically operate at elevated temperatures with relative humidity between 70 and 85%, which impairs the body's ability to cool itself through sweat evaporation. That combination is more physiologically demanding than temperature alone. The heat burden in a bakery rarely comes from a single source. Deck and tunnel ovens produce significant radiant heat, and workers loading and unloading product, particularly near open oven mouths, are exposed to radiant heat that a standard air thermometer will not capture. Proofers present a different challenge: proofing environments typically operate at elevated temperatures with relative humidity between 70 and 85%, which impairs the body's ability to cool itself through sweat evaporation. That combination is more physiologically demanding than temperature alone. Shift length matters too. Long runs limit recovery time, and workers nearing the end of a shift are not starting from the same position as those who began it. In summer, rising outdoor temperatures make it harder to maintain effective ventilation and reduce the usefulness of rest areas that rely on ambient cooling.   **Why Air Temperature Alone Is Not Enough** A standard thermometer tells you one thing. In a bakery, it can underrepresent what workers are actually experiencing. HSE identifies the key factors contributing to heat stress as work rate, working climate (including air temperature, humidity, air movement and proximity to heat sources), clothing and PPE, and individual factors such as age, body type and medical conditions. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index accounts for several of these simultaneously, combining air temperature, radiant heat and humidity into a single measure that reflects the thermal environment more completely. For occupational hygiene teams assessing bakery production areas, WBGT is particularly relevant near ovens and proofers where radiant heat and humidity are most significant. It supports risk assessment and decisions about work/rest regimes, but measurement alone is not a control measure, it informs one.   **Practical Summer Considerations** Employers are required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of all foreseeable hazards, and hot weather is a foreseeable hazard. For bakery operators, the following are worth reviewing before and during warm periods:   **Conclusion** Bakeries that manage heat exposure well year-round are better placed when summer arrives, but changing ambient conditions mean existing controls deserve review rather than assumption. Understanding actual conditions across different production areas, and at different points in a shift, gives teams the evidence to act. If your team is reviewing heat exposure assessments ahead of summer production, Shawcity offers a range of [heat stress and WBGT monitoring instruments](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/) and technical support for food manufacturing environments. ##### Share [Previous post](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/how-different-industries-use-sensor-technology) [Next post](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/plant-milk-production-pasteurisation-safety) ## **Latest posts** ##### [![](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Hydrogen%20Sulphide%20Gas%20Cloud%20Over%20Industrial%20Zone.png) Guides & Insights **Why Smell Cannot Reliably Warn You of H₂S** 25 August 2026](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/why-smell-cannot-reliably-warn-of-h2s) ##### [![](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/plant-milk-day.png) Blogs **How Is Plant Milk Made? Pasteurisation & Workplace Safety** 21 August 2026](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/plant-milk-production-pasteurisation-safety) ##### [![](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/gavin-article.png) Employee Stories **How Different Industries Use Sensor Technology** 13 August 2026](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news/how-different-industries-use-sensor-technology) [Back to blog](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news) ![Newsletter icon](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Icons/newsletter-icon.svg) ### **Sign up to our newsletter** ### **Sign up to our newsletter** ![Newsletter icon](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Icons/newsletter-icon.svg) ![Shawcity logo](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Brand%20Logos/NEW%20colour%20logo%2c%2050%20and%20strap.png) ##### Products - [Accessories](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/accessories) - [Air Quality Monitoring](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/search?q=air%20quality) - [Calibration Gas](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/search?q=calibration%20gas) - [View All Products ⇀](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/products) ##### Industries - [Agriculture & Biogas](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/agriculture-biogas-gas-detection) - [Construction](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/construction-gas-monitoring) - [Environmental Projects](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/environmental-gas-monitoring) - [View All Industries ⇀](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/industries) ##### Services - [Training](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/training) - [Service & Calibration](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-service-calibration-uk) - [Hire](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-hire-uk) - [Customer Support](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/customer-support) ##### About - [About Shawcity](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/about-shawcity) - [Vacancies](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/shawcity-careers) - [News](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news) - [Events](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/events) ##### Customer Support - [![Telephone icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/phone-icon.svg) 01367 899553](tel:01367%20899553) - [![Email icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/email-icon@1x.svg) info@shawcity.co.uk](mailto:info@shawcity.co.uk) ##### Get in Touch - [Contact Us](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/contact) - ![Map pin icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/geo-pin-icon.svg) [Shawcity Limited 91-92 Shrivenham Hundred Business Park, Oxfordshire SN6 8TY](https://goo.gl/maps/CWtffn8UgPAM4Xym9) - Products - [Portable Gas](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/portable-gas) - [Fixed Gas Monitoring](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/fixed-gas) - [Ground Gas/Contaminated Land](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/ground-gas-contaminated-land) - [Sound Noise & Vibration](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/sound-noise-and-vibration) - [Air Quality & Dust](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/air-quality-and-dust) - [Fit Testing](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/fit-testing) - [Heat Stress](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/heat-stress) - [Accessories](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/accessories) - [OEM Gas Sensors](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/oem-gas-sensors) - [Calibration Gas](https://products.shawcity.co.uk/collections/calibration-gas) - Services - [Training](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/training) - [Service & Calibration](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-service-calibration-uk) - [Hire](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/gas-detector-hire-uk) - [Customer Support](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/customer-support) - About Us - [About Shawcity](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/about-shawcity) - [Vacancies](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/shawcity-careers) - Resources - [E-catalogue](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/ShawcityE-catalogueWeb21.pdf) - [News & Events](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/news) - Customer Support - [![Telephone icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/phone-icon.svg) 01367 899553](tel:01367%20899553) - [![Email icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/email-icon@1x.svg) info@shawcity.co.uk](mailto:info@shawcity.co.uk) - Get in Touch - [Contact Us](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/contact) - ![Map pin icon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/2901/3401/t/2/assets/geo-pin-icon.svg) [Shawcity Limited 91-92 Shrivenham Hundred Business Park, Oxfordshire SN6 8TY](https://goo.gl/maps/CWtffn8UgPAM4Xym9) ![Pass Certified PAT Tester](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/Logos/pass-certified-PAT-tester@2x.png?width=89&height=60&name=pass-certified-PAT-tester@2x.png) ![Alcumus Safe Contractor](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/Logos/alcumus-safe-contractor@2x.png?width=411&height=73&name=alcumus-safe-contractor@2x.png) ![ISRP Logo Small Websize](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ISRP%20Logo%20Small%20Websize.jpg?width=106&height=50&name=ISRP%20Logo%20Small%20Websize.jpg) ![BOHS 70 YearWEB](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/BOHS%2070%20YearWEB.png?width=100&height=73&name=BOHS%2070%20YearWEB.png) ![British Safety Council Member](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/Logos/british-safety-council-logo@2x.png?width=117&height=50&name=british-safety-council-logo@2x.png) ![Achilles Procurement](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/AchillesLogoWebsiteSize.png?width=73&height=73&name=AchillesLogoWebsiteSize.png) ![ISO credentials 25](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/ISO%20credentials%2025.png?width=600&height=296&name=ISO%20credentials%2025.png) © Shawcity 2021 [Privacy & Cookie Policy](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/privacy-cookies)  |  [Sales Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/terms-conditions-sales)  |  [Hire Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hires)  |  [Service Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/terms-and-conditions-of-service-calibration)  |  [Carbon Reduction Plan](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/QP43%20Carbon%20Reduction%20Plan.pdf) | [Modern Slavery Statement](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Modern%20Slavery%20Statement.pdf) Company registered in England No. 1273269   |   VAT number: GB 200868972   |   ISO 9001-2015 certified. © Shawcity 2021 [Privacy & Cookie Policy](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/privacy-cookies)  |  [Sales Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/terms-conditions-sales)  |  [Hire Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hires)  |  [Service Terms & Conditions](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/terms-and-conditions-of-service-calibration)  |  [Carbon Reduction Plan](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/QP43%20Carbon%20Reduction%20Plan.pdf) | [Modern Slavery Statement](https://www.shawcity.co.uk/hubfs/Modern%20Slavery%20Statement.pdf) Company registered in England No. 1273269   |   VAT number: GB 200868972   |   ISO 9001-2015 certified.