Workers are falling ill and dying at alarming rates due to heat illness. Extreme heat causes as many as 2,000 worker fatalities in the U.S. each year, and up to 170,000 workers are injured in heat stress-related accidents annually.
On July 2, 2024, OSHA announced a proposed Heat Standard, including access to water, rest breaks, and shaded or cooled areas. The proposed rule also mandates training for workers and supervisors to recognize and respond to heat-related illnesses.
Following this important step, now the White House must continue to act with urgency. Workers have been promised heat protections for years, and we cannot wait any longer.
Together, we can stand on the right side of history. Please sign this petition to demand that the White House quickly enact full and final heat protections.
Join us in protecting workers and ensuring their well-being. Together, we can achieve Heat Justice!
The text of the letter is below.
Click here to submit comments directly to the Federal Register
The letter we submitted on December 5, 2024:
Dear Mr. President, Acting Secretary of Labor Su, and OSHA Assistant Secretary of Labor Parker,
Workers are suffering and dying from heat illness at alarming rates. Extreme heat causes up to 2,000 worker fatalities in the U.S. each year, and up to 170,000 workers are injured in heat stress-related accidents annually. These numbers are an underestimate, as many employers fail to correlate cardiac illnesses and other symptoms to heat exposure.
Extreme heat poses serious risks, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and fatalities, affecting both outdoor and indoor environments. Employers can prevent workers from suffering heat illness and death through these and other common-sense measures such as proper ventilation, cooling systems, and creating heat prevention plans with the full involvement of workers.
Without a regulation from OSHA requiring these measures, too many employers put profit over the well-being of their workers.
We call on the White House and OSHA to continue to move with urgency on this crucial safety issue. Workers have been promised heat protections for years, and we cannot afford to wait any longer.
Sincerely,
Over 600 individuals and organizations
