As regions across the country continue to face unprecedented heat waves each summer, with around 15 million people in extreme heat warnings or advisories in states like California, Texas, and Nevada, now is the time for OSHA to finalize a clear, enforceable heat rule, which will save countless lives and make workplaces safer for the 36 million workers nationwide who are subject to extreme heat conditions. Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. Research shows that excessive heat in the workplace can cause serious adverse health effects for workers, including dehydration, fatigue, heat stroke and death. Particularly for pregnant workers and workers with serious health conditions, hazardous exposure to extreme heat can cause negative birth outcomes including preeclampsia, preterm birth, or miscarriage, and exacerbate existing health conditions.
Last week, on July 1st, Kameron Dawson, the Legal Director of A Better Balance’s Southern office, testified in strong support of OSHA’s adoption of proposed rules for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Indoor and Outdoor Work Settings during OSHA’s public hearings. This rule would establish the first national heat hazard protection standard.
OSHA’s proposed heat standard would guarantee life-saving measures such as acclimatization procedures (which would allow workers time to adjust to high-heat work environments), paid rest breaks for workers at the heat threshold of 90 degrees, access to shade and water, as well as Heat Illness Prevention Plans (HIPPs) and more. A Better Balance has worked alongside our national and state partners to advocate for a strong, comprehensive rule that includes worker participation in each stage of making the workplace safer from heat hazards, as well as culturally competent trainings that are accessible to workers in a variety of languages, protection from retaliation and discrimination for reporting heat hazards, and access to paid rest breaks at the initial heat trigger of 80 degrees. These preventative measures can keep workers healthy and safe at work, retain critical employees, boost productivity for businesses, and provide much needed clarity on employer’s responsibilities.
Workers deserve the same level of protections regardless of their zip code. The current patchwork of heat safety laws leaves millions of workers falling through the gaps; currently, only 7 states have established workplace heat standards, but the majority of states lack these protections. As we continue to see some Southern states like Texas and Florida preempt or block localities from establishing their own life saving heat standards in the absence of statewide protections, a federal heat standard would fill in the gaps to ensure that workers across the country are safe from extreme heat exposure.
Every summer is becoming more dangerous for workers, particularly those working in low-wage earning positions that often lack adequate heat illness and injury training and workplace accommodations such as shade and consistent access to water. Every worker deserves the right to a safe and hazard free workplace, and to return home safely to their loved ones. OSHA’s proposed heat protection standard will improve the quality of working conditions across the country, especially for workers of color and caregivers, and promote the economic security of our country by reducing systemic barriers that negatively impact the health and safety of vulnerable workers.
We urge OSHA to finalize and publish the rule, so that all workers who face extreme heat hazards can be protected without further delay.
