Heat Stress Action Toolkit

Demand that congress take action to protect workers now!

Organize and

Demand Action!

As many as 2,000 workers are dying from dangerous heat exposure on the job every year.

More than 63,000 high heat alerts were issued throughout the U.S. during the summer of 2023 — alerts warning people that they can get ill and die if they don’t take precautions. But workers still have no protections from hazardous heat in the workplace.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been working on developing a protective workplace heat standard since 2021 and is at least 2 more years away from finalizing the standard.

The Asuncíon Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act is a bill that would require OSHA to establish an interim, enforceable standard to protect workers in high-heat environments now.

Please join National COSH and Public Citizen as we fight to ensure that workers are protected and demand that Congress pass a heat protection bill!

Take Action

Spread our easy action to send an email to your representatives in congress
Share our Heat Stress Action Website with your members and networks
Share bill factsheet with key statistics and information about the bill.
Add your organization to joint letter to congress
Activate your followers on social media (see below)

How Can I Talk about Heat Stress?

Exposure to excessive heat is one of the most dangerous problems facing workers today

Tens of thousands of workers suffer heat illnesses, injuries, and fatalities every year in the U.S.

Heat illness affects both indoor and outdoor workers

Heat exposure can occur during any time of year — not just during heat waves.

Black and Brown workers, and low-income workers are disproportionately affected by heat stress.

This is most clearly demonstrated by the plight of farmworkers, who have the highest rate of heat-related worker deaths.

At least 50,000 injuries and illnesses could be avoided in the U.S. each year with an adequate OSHA heat standard

When employers refuse to give basic heat protection rules to workers, it affects all of us.

The failure of employers to implement simple heat safety measures costs the U.S. economy nearly $100 billion every year.

We have to act now to protect workers from hazardous heat exposure.

The Asuncíon Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act would include paid breaks in cool spaces, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat-related illness.

Social Media

Use Social Media to Activate Your Followers

Share the videos of workers talking about their experiences with heat stress

- Pedro’s story: https://youtube.com/shorts/g7q9msRSnG8?feature=share
- Pedro’s story (en español): https://youtu.be/ZcQvk6yWjSs
- Lindsay’s story: https://youtube.com/shorts /k0zw24FlZ2g
- Lindsay’s story (en español): https://youtube.com/shorts/dgT5BW59mTw

Upload your own videos on YouTube, instagram reels, TikToks to share

Please tag handles

- @SafeWorkers
- @NationalCOSH
- @Public_Citizen

Please use hashtags

- #ProtectWorkers
- #HeatStress
- #Calor
- #ClimateCrisis
- #HeatKills

Like/retweet/repost

Follow

- X/Twitter — @public_citizen
- X/Twitter — @safeworkers
- X/Twitter — @NationalCOSH
- Instagram — public_citizen
- Instagram — national cosh
- TikTok — @public_citizen

Some useful handles

- @OSHA_DOL
- @POTUS
- @ActSecJulieSu
- @NIOSH
- @SenSherrodBrown (Senate bill leader – chief sponsor)
- @SenAlexPadilla (Senate bill leader)
- @SenCortezMasto (Senate bill leader)
- @RepJudyChu (House bill leader – chief sponsor)
- @BobbyScott (House bill leader)
- @RepRaulGrijalva (House bill leader)
- @RepAdams (House bill leader)
- —————————————————————-
- @rocunited
- @NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)
- @UFWF
- @FarmwrkrJustice
- @Teamsters
- @IUBAC (Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union)
- @WeCount_FL
- @FWAFL (Farmworker Association of Florida)
- @steelworkers
- @UCSUSA (Union of Concerned Scientists)
- @HEAL_Food
- @foodchainworker
- @LWC_workers (Laundry Workers Center)
- @roofersunion
- @AFLCIO
- @AFLCIOLatino
- @UAW (United Auto Workers)
- @NELPNews
- @nfwministry (National Farm Worker Ministry)
- @FLAPIllinois (Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project – Illinois)
- @IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers)