"My sense is definitely, in keeping with climate change, that more workers are complaining about higher and higher heat and humidity," said Rick Rabin, trainer and technical consultant at the workers' rights nonprofit Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH).

The proposal is a long-awaited move in the agency’s efforts to keep workers safe in soaring temperatures. The draft of the document was hailed by worker advocacy groups that say federal OSHA has lagged behind states such as Arizona and California in creating guidelines for employers whose workers face such risks as heat stroke. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health issued a statement on July 2 calling OSHA’s announcement “a critical step in protecting millions of workers from heat-related illnesses and injuries.”

"These protections ensure that employers proactively safeguard their workforce,” says Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “Heat-related illnesses are preventable, and no worker should endure unsafe conditions. This rule provides a clear framework for promoting a culture of safety and responsibility."

Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Co-Chair of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH), joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed heat rule.

The National Safety Council (NSC) and National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) both released statements supporting the proposed measure. The NSC pointed out that recommendations it has long advocated for are included in OSHA’s proposal. Meanwhile, the National COSH was “motivated and encouraged” by the news, applauding its “clear framework for promoting a culture of safety and responsibility.”

“It couldn’t have come a moment too soon,” Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, told Work-Bites, adding that the proposed rules will protect “untold numbers” of workers.

”It is absolutely asinine that we have legislators in Tallahassee dictating what local communities should be deciding in their own backyards,” said Esteban Wood, policy director for WeCount, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrant workers in South Florida. “We need to be incredibly responsive to protecting the health and safety of the workers who grow our food, who build our cities, who keep our economies running.”

Especially not as some of the world’s best known and biggest companies are the worst offenders — the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) released its “Dirty Dozen 2023” list that included names like Amazon, FedEx, Norfolk Southern and Tesla.

Workers’ safety groups praised the rule. “We are motivated and encouraged by the latest news from OSHA, as it signifies a vital advancement in worker safety,” said Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition of worker and safety advocates. “Extreme heat poses serious risks, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and fatalities, affecting both outdoor and indoor environments. As climate change raises global temperatures, comprehensive heat protection standards are increasingly urgent.”

"It's a huge deal. And especially now that we're entering the summer months, we need these protections. There will be more awareness around this. We're expecting employers to be able to comply," said Jessica Martinez of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health.

“This rule provides a clear framework for promoting a culture of safety and responsibility,” Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of National COSH, said in a statement shared with Construction Dive, a sister publication to HR Dive.

“We have long advocated for an OSHA heat standard,” Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said in response to the proposed national rules. “We are motivated and encouraged by the latest news from OSHA, as it signifies a vital advancement in worker safety. ... As climate change raises global temperatures, comprehensive heat protection standards are increasingly urgent."

WeCount, a Homestead-based nonprofit that represents the interests of farm workers, said that the practices the company outlined were a positive step but did not go far enough. The biggest problems are that are no formal regulations and no outside agency monitors whether Costa or other growers fulfill pledges of protection, said Oscar Londoño, the executive director of WeCount.

Unions and worker advocates are increasingly pressing for heat protections. Gerstein pointed out that the Teamsters recently secured air-conditioning in trucks and other heat protections in their latest collective bargaining agreement. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is training workers to advocate for their rights. Employers are encouraged to proactively implement heat safety measures, and government agencies are urged to educate the public and model good practices. Municipalities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami-Dade County have appointed chief heat officers to help address these issues.

“It gives workers an opportunity to speak truth to power about the conditions of a worksite,” said Jessica Martinez, co-executive Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “Having a trusted rep selected by the workers themselves makes a huge difference  when a government inspector is on sight.”

From 2014 through 2023, XL Concrete, the parent company of Black Iron, had 29 safety violations in Nevada, according to the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health. Faced with labor violations and dangerous working conditions, Black Iron workers say their only option is to fight for changes at the company through unionization.

Jessica E. Martinez, MPH, is co-executive director of National COSH. “This is an exciting and challenging time for US workers,” she said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see a renewed interest in joining labor unions, participating in workers’ centers and connecting with advocacy campaigns. The challenge facing workers who are fighting for something better is that conditions in US workplaces are getting worse.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health released a list of its “Dirty Dozen” employers of 2024, examples of employers that National COSH asserts put workers and communities at risk due to unsafe practices, which reportedly lead to preventable illnesses, injuries and fatalities.

COSH Network Affiliates Carlos Gutierrez from Mid-State COSH and Jessica Maxwell from Workers' Center of Central New York contributed to this article.

Costa Farms was included on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s Dirty Dozen report of unsafe employers in 2024.