SACRAMENTO BEE: D.C. LOOKS TO CALIFORNIA FOR WORKER HEAT PROTECTIONS
More than 100 federal lawmakers called on Biden’s administration on Monday to create a federal standard for addressing heat stress in the workplace as global temperatures rise.
Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla and 20 California House members, including Reps. Ami Bera and Doris Matsui, signed a letter to the U.S. Department of Labor asking them to swiftly implement a federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule on dealing with extreme heat.
“Protection from extreme heat is a matter of life and death for many workers and their families across the United States,” the lawmakers wrote.
The legislators suggested rules in California and a few other states become a baseline for high heat standards. When temperatures exceed 80 degrees in California, employers must allow workers to take a break in a shaded area any time they feel at risk of overheating.
California has been used as a progressive model in the past for climate-related policies. The Biden administration looked to the state’s rules on vehicle emissions when developing federal limits. The president has tapped many Californians for key positions, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
On Monday, lawmakers asking for a heat standard also asked the administration to incorporate a California senator’s legislation.
Padilla, along with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, introduced a bill for an OSHA heat standard, titled the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatalities Prevention Act. The measure asks for:
Adequate hydration
Rest breaks
Shaded areas for breaks in outdoor workplaces or air-conditioned indoor places
Medical services and training to address signs and symptoms of heat-related illness
A plan for acclimating to high-heat work conditions
OSHA, an agency within the Labor Department, has taken steps toward developing a heat standard during the past couple of years. But not fast enough, legislators contended, writing that rising global temperatures require the federal government to take “immediate action if we are to accomplish our shared goals of saving lives and prioritizing worker safety and dignity.”
This summer had the hottest June ever recorded, many scientific organizations concurred. The hottest week ever came in July. And the heat isn’t relenting anytime soon.
More than 700 people die from heat-related issues in the U.S. per year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. Heat waves are associated with increased deaths from heart attacks and respiratory illnesses, as well as more hospitalizations for cardiovascular, kidney and respiratory issues.
“As you know, many workers whose jobs require prolonged exposure to extreme heat are not afforded paid time off or sick days,” lawmakers wrote. “Thus, any health complications caused by heat exposure can lead to missed work, missed wages, and financial instability for families.”
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