FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katelyn Parady, katelyn@nationalcosh.org, (307) 389-7387

Phoenix, Arizona – The Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Committee declined today to recommend an enforceable workplace heat safety standard, prompting chants of “Enforceable Heat Standard Now!” from workers and advocates gathered in the Industrial Commission of Arizona auditorium.

The committee initially held no discussion on the matter, moving quickly to recommend a set of best practices rather than an enforceable heat standard. A standard would guarantee workers’ rights to water, shade, rest, and other lifesaving interventions while establishing penalties for employers.

Several members of the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition offered impromptu public comments highlighting the toll working outside in Arizona’s heat has taken on their family members and the urgency of getting a standard. 

“It was 90 degrees at the end of February,” said coalition member Jazmin Moreno-Dominguez, Organizing Manager at Agave Community Threads. “Extreme heat is an urgent crisis for workers and their families, and the state needs to respond with urgent action. Asking workers to continue waiting while their lives are on the line isn’t acceptable.”

Workplace heat injury and illness prevention standards require employers to provide cool drinking water at no cost, access to shade or cooled areas, paid rest breaks that increase as temperatures rise, acclimatization protocols for new and returning workers, training in languages workers understand, and strong anti-retaliation protections. Without an enforceable standard, these protections remain inconsistent and too often unavailable. 

“The Industrial Commission of Arizona still has the authority to advance a rule – while also taking action to improve workers’ safety through recommendations and the Heat Stress State Emphasis Program,” said Katelyn Parady, Associate Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “We are calling on Commissioners Everett, Godfrey, Hennelly, Kavanaugh, and Valdez to open rulemaking.” 

Seven states have already adopted enforceable workplace heat standards or legislative protections, establishing uniform requirements that save lives and create a level playing field for responsible employers. Recent analysis of outdoor worker heat deaths using CDC data indicate that while rising temperatures are causing more outdoor workers to lose their lives, a properly enforced heat standard can limit the rate at which occupational heat fatalities rise. Researchers recently found that over a ten-year period in which California’s outdoor heat standard was implemented and enforced, outdoor worker heat deaths in that state rose by significantly less than in neighboring states without standards, including Arizona.  

“Heat standards save lives, prevent illnesses and injury, and establish clear expectations for employers, taking the guesswork out of OSHA inspections” said Monica Sandschafer of Mi Familia en Accion, a member of the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition. “State heat standards have been around for 20 years. It’s time for Arizona to act.”