Under a Labor Department proposal announced on Tuesday, employers would be required to provide rest breaks and access to shade and clean water for their workers as a shield against extreme heat. If finalized, the proposed regulation would be the first federal safety standard for excessive heat in the workplace and would cover 36 million workers.
“Every worker should come home safe and healthy at the end of the day,” said acting Labor Secretary Julie Su. Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the country, said the department.
The United Farm Workers union said a heat safety rule was a long-time goal. “Every year farm workers are killed by heat – with known deaths likely drastically outnumbered by the unknown, uncounted deaths,” said UFW president Teresa Romero. The federal regulation was modeled on heat safety standards in California, Oregon, and Washington State, said the union.
The Labor Department said it would use existing regulations to encourage employers to safeguard workers during hot weather while the proposed regulation goes through a public comment period and a final review.
To read a pre-publication draft of the proposed rule, click here.