{"id":110451,"date":"2023-08-14T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-14T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=110451"},"modified":"2023-08-14T15:46:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T19:46:33","slug":"working-in-extreme-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/working-in-extreme-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Working in Extreme Heat: Why Aren&#8217;t There More Regulations?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Why don\u2019t protections exist for Americans working in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/effects-of-extreme-heat\/\">extreme heat<\/a>? As climate change pushes temperatures higher, will they get relief?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A growing number of Americans are working in extreme heat and dying, yet almost no federal laws exist to protect them. Federal efforts to implement heat safety regulations are complicated to implement and face opposition, leaving workers vulnerable to increasingly dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at the dangerous conditions and why regulation isn&#8217;t yet in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-heat-safety-rules-are-lagging\">Heat Safety Rules Are Lagging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">construction workers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/heat-record-farmworkers-danger-climate-c0ca69cf71871ff07c5731cca55738c7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">farm laborers<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/amazon-warehouse-death-heat-safety-new-jersey-rcna43639\">warehouse e<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/amazon-warehouse-death-heat-safety-new-jersey-rcna43639\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">m<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/business\/business-news\/amazon-warehouse-death-heat-safety-new-jersey-rcna43639\">ployees<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/federalnewsnetwork.com\/workforce\/2023\/07\/house-lawmakers-probe-usps-extreme-heat-protections-following-letter-carriers-death\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mail<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/07\/20\/1188282961\/delivery-drivers-want-protection-against-heat-but-its-an-uphill-battle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">package delivery drivers<\/a>, <strong>a growing number of Americans are working in extreme heat and dying as a result.<\/strong> In recent months, severe heat waves led to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/18\/weather\/heat-wave-end-phoenix-texas-climate\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">numerous fatalities<\/a> in the US, taxed hospitals, and triggered government warnings to avoid prolonged heat exposure. Yet <strong>virtually no federal protections exist<\/strong> for people whose employers require them to work in scorching summer temperatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-background\"><strong>Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Extreme heat, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/07\/23\/opinion\/climate-heat-deaths-poverty.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">top weather-related cause of death<\/a> in the US, results in 9,000 hospitalizations and 700 fatalities a year,<strong> <\/strong>according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2014though studies have found that <strong>heat-related deaths are <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.news-medical.net\/news\/20200619\/Heat-may-kill-more-people-in-the-US-than-previously-estimated-study-finds.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>grossly underestimated<\/strong><\/a>. Experts say that as climate change <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/article\/were-not-ready-for-the-extreme-heat-of-the-future-shortform-explainers-shortform?sf_source=businessnewsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leads temperatures to surge<\/a>, the problem will worsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a problem for workers whose employers don\u2019t offer them protection from prolonged heat exposure, increasing their risk of:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Heat stroke<\/strong><\/a><strong>, <\/strong>a life-threatening condition in which the body\u2019s core temperature can elevate above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. <strong>Heat stroke disrupts brain cells\u2019 ability to transmit critical signals to the body and can trigger heart, kidney, and liver failure. <\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2023\/07\/21\/1189179220\/amid-a-record-heat-wave-texas-construction-workers-lose-their-right-to-rest-brea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Heat-related illness<\/strong><\/a> that causes fatigue, disorientation, dehydration, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">impaired cognitive abilities<\/a> leading to worker mistakes and accidents.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-existing-heat-safety-rules\"><strong>Existing Heat Safety Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At present, only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2023\/07\/21\/1189179220\/amid-a-record-heat-wave-texas-construction-workers-lose-their-right-to-rest-brea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">five US states<\/a> have regulations that protect workers in extreme heat, and <strong>safeguards at the federal level are limited in scope, effectiveness, and enforceability. <\/strong>The Occupational Safety and Health Administration\u2019s (OSHA) &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/laws-regs\/oshact\/section5-duties\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">general duty clause<\/a>&#8221; mandates employers to provide safe workplaces\u2014enabling the administration to fine employers who expose workers to unsafe heat conditions. But experts say<strong> the rule is <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>overly broad and difficult to enforce<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pro-the-argument-for-federal-heat-standards\"><strong>Pro: The Argument for Federal Heat Standards&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Labor groups say that regulations to address extreme heat in the workplace are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long overdue<\/a> for Americans who continue to lose their lives on the job due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, <strong>436 workers died between 2011 and 2021 as a result of high heat exposure\u2014a figure experts say vastly underestimates the true number of deaths.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-con-the-argument-against-federal-heat-standards\"><strong>Con: The Argument Against Federal Heat Standards&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Federal government efforts to introduce heat standards have been met with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">resistance from business interest groups<\/a>. The US Chamber of Commerce argues that creating a comprehensive, practical standard that employers can reasonably adhere to is challenging because<strong> heat risks vary depending on conditions specific to each worker, job, and job site.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the meantime, officials in some states are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2023\/07\/21\/1189179220\/amid-a-record-heat-wave-texas-construction-workers-lose-their-right-to-rest-brea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>removing<\/em> safeguards<\/a>. In June, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 2127 into law, abolishing local ordinances that require rest breaks for construction workers. <strong>The new statute eliminates heat protections for construction workers in some Texas cities<\/strong>\u2014including the 66% of Dallas laborers who said they didn\u2019t receive water, and 33% who said they didn\u2019t receive rest breaks, in surveys conducted before the city enacted its now-nullified 2015 rest-break ordinance. HB 2127\u2019s author, Republican State Rep. Dustin Burrows, says the law is necessary to eliminate &#8220;the current hodgepodge of onerous and burdensome regulations.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-looking-ahead\"><strong>Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts say that OSHA will likely propose a rule to protect workers from extreme heat in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2023\/07\/21\/business\/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coming year<\/a>, but that<strong> turning the proposed OSHA rule into official regulation is a lengthy and uncertain process that, in a best case scenario, could take five to seven years. <\/strong>A new presidential administration that opposes the rule could further delay or prevent the standard from becoming a reality for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why don\u2019t protections exist for Americans working in extreme heat? As climate change pushes temperatures higher, will they get relief? A growing number of Americans are working in extreme heat and dying, yet almost no federal laws exist to protect them. Federal efforts to implement heat safety regulations are complicated to implement and face opposition, leaving workers vulnerable to increasingly dangerous conditions. Here&#8217;s a look at the dangerous conditions and why regulation isn&#8217;t yet in place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":110474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,275,30],"tags":[727],"class_list":["post-110451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-politics","category-work","tag-articles","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Working in Extreme Heat: Why Aren&#039;t There More Regulations? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over 700 workers die of extreme heat in the US each year. But putting regulations in place isn&#039;t as simple as it sounds. 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