Employers must take steps to protect tens of millions of US workers from overheating under rules proposed by the Biden Administration on Tuesday.
In what will be the first major regulation, the new rules will increase protections for workers nationwide, require employer training to identify heat hazards and provide “rest breaks, access to shade and water and heat acclimatization for new employees,” White White. House said in a news release.
Those affected by extreme heat in the workplace include agricultural workers, shipping and construction workers, gardeners as well as those who earn a living in warehouses, factories and kitchens.
According to a proposal from the Department of Labor and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), the agency will implement two heat index thresholds nationally, factoring in humidity and temperature.
“If finalized, OSHA projects the rule will affect approximately 36 million workers and reduce heat injuries, illnesses and deaths in the workplace,” according to the statement.
At 80 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must provide drinking water and break areas. At 90 degrees, workers must take 15-minute breaks every two hours and be monitored for signs of heat illness.
As the average temperature rises, heat illness is an increasing safety health concerns for workers around the world, including in the U.S. There were an average of 32 heat-related workplace deaths a year from 1992 to 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 43 fatalities in 2022, up from 36 the previous year. That said, statistics for heat-related illnesses, injuries and deaths may be “gross underestimates,” according to the agency.
The deaths include a 26-year-old man who suffered heat-related injuries while working in an open cane field in Belle Glade, Florida, as the heat index reached 97 degrees, the DOL said in April, citing contractors for no. protect workers.
“This young man’s life ended on his first day on the job because his employer failed to do its duty to protect employees from heat exposure, a known and increasingly dangerous hazard,” said Condell Eastmond, OSHA’s regional director in Fort Lauderdale, in September. death.
Too much heat kills more from hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combinedkilled more than 2,300 people in the US last year, including 350 in New York City. The experts warn that heat stress can turn on deadly even faster than previously thought.
According to a recent report by Public Citizen, about 2,000 workers die of heat stroke, kidney failure and heart attack caused by heat each year in the US due to working in extreme heat, and 170,000 are injured.
Five states — California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington — have workplace heat safety laws.
“Weak heat protection regulations are inadequate, leaving the majority of US workers in 45 states without protection from the heat that is so dangerous on the job,” said Juley Fulcher, worker health and safety attorney with Public Citizen.
The Department of Labor has been developing standards for how workplaces deal with heat starting in 2021, with OSHA holding a meeting in 2023 to hear about how the proposal could affect small businesses.
Heat protection legislation in the US has faced sustained industry opposition, including from chambers of commerce and other business associations. Many say a blanket mandate would be difficult to enforce across industries.
Several regulations have recently been attacked by the GOP. Last year, Florida and Texas, led by Governor Ron DeSantis and Governor Greg Abbott, both Republicans, passed laws preventing local governments from requiring heat protection for outdoor workers.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
