Public Citizen, the United Farm Workers Foundation, Farmworker Justice and a diverse national network, launched a campaign in July 2018 to win worker protections from heat stress through national, state, and local advocacy.  We are raising awareness around climate change's impacts on the health and safety of workers, as well as other vulnerable populations, and advancing standards to prevent injuries and deaths from heat stress outdoors and indoors.

Background

Excessive heat exposure can cause heat stroke and even death if not treated properly. It also exacerbates other health problems like asthma and heart disease. The current epidemic of heat stress injuries and deaths will continue to worsen in the coming years, as record-breaking summers have become the norm. We need bold action to stop further climate change while also protecting vulnerable populations from the temperature rise that is already locked in. It's critical that we enact heat stress protections before climate change puts even more workers in danger.

The solutions to heat stress are common-sense and low cost: hydration, shade, rest breaks, and time for the body to adjust to exposure (acclimatization). Unfortunately, we know that many employers won't implement them voluntarily. Despite repeated recommendations by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and worker organizations, OSHA has not yet concluded its rulemaking for a heat stress standard. Six states—Minnesota, California, Oregon, Washington, Maryland and Nevada—and the U.S. military have taken the lead and issued enforceable standards with varying degrees of coverage. In addition, New Mexico has a draft standard that should be concluded this summer.

Meanwhile, two states, Florida and Texas, have unconscionably enacted measures to preempt and prevent heat exposure protections for workers by cities in their jurisdiction.

Campaign

There are several initiatives across the country to protect workers from heat . We're connecting those efforts through a national coalition with a common goal: preventing heat stress. Through national and state public education campaigns, we can raise awareness of the growing problem of extreme heat -- as well as the need to stop raising temperatures with greenhouse gas pollution. We are building a large, cross-sector coalition in collaboration with labor unions, and comprising labor, public health, environmental justice, environmental, and faith groups to advance this work.

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