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

PHOENIX, AZ — A packed hearing room, powerful testimony, and urgent demands defined Wednesday's public meeting at the Industrial Commission of Arizona, where dozens of workers, advocates, and community members called on the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) to adopt a statewide heat safety standard.

Members of the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition stood united with farmworkers, airport workers, day laborers, and organizers from across the state. They urged ADOSH’s Advisory Committee to move quickly toward formal rulemaking that would require employers to provide basic and lifesaving protections including access to water, shade, rest, training, and acclimatization.

“Working in the extreme heat during the summer months is brutal and even at night you can’t escape it,” said George Williams, a cabin cleaner at PHX and worker with SEIU Airport Workers United. “Every single worker in Arizona should be protected from the extreme heat. It should be mandatory for all employers to keep workers safe by providing easy access to water, air conditioned break rooms, and training on how to identify heat illness. Those simple measures can be the difference between life and death. There is no excuse for continuing to delay protections. Arizona needs a heat standard now.”

The hearing follows a year of increased public pressure and rising concern over the deadly consequences of extreme heat. In 2023 alone, Arizona saw another spike in heat-related illnesses and fatalities. Yet the state still has no specific, enforceable heat standard requiring employers to offer even the most basic safeguards.

"When you're roofing in Tucson, you're closer to the sun," said Tony Pineda, a We Rise! Fellow with the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) and member of the Josefina Ahumada Worker Center. "We feel the danger every single day on the job. I’ve seen coworkers collapse. We are not asking for anything unreasonable. Water, rest, and shade are basic human needs, and they should be guaranteed on every job site."

One of the most emotional moments came from farmworker advocates who described the suffering endured by agricultural workers in the Yuma region, where triple-digit temperatures are common throughout the growing season.

 “In Yuma County, farmworkers are continuously exposed to extreme heat while performing physically demanding labor,” said Liliana Cruz, Farmworker Programs Director at Campesinos Sin Fronteras. “Many workers have limited access to water, shade, rest, and bathrooms. While we provide preventive education in person and through our community radio station, education alone is not enough. When heat protections are not enforced, workers suffer heat stroke and face long-term health consequences, including kidney disease. Enforceable heat protections are essential to keep our communities healthy and ensure no worker has to choose between their health and a paycheck.” 

Speakers highlighted the deep inequities of heat exposure, noting that Latino workers are three times more likely to die from heat-related causes on the job than non-Latino workers. Arizona also has one of the highest rates of workers' compensation claims for heat-related illness in the country.

The coalition pointed to successful models in other states. California’s heat safety rule reduced heat-related deaths by one-third after enforcement began, and also lowered the overall rate of injuries on hot days in high-risk industries.

"We know that enforceable standards work," said Katelyn Parady, the Associate Director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. "The science is clear, and the urgency is real. The Governor’s task force has sent its recommendations. Now we need ADOSH to start the rulemaking process without delay."

What's Next

The Arizona Heat Standards Coalition is calling on ADOSH to immediately initiate formal rulemaking and create a heat safety standard that includes enforceable rights to water, rest, shade, training, and acclimatization. With another summer approaching, advocates say there is no time to waste.

For all press inquiries, please contact:
Katelyn Parady 

katelyn@nationalcosh.org

307.389.7387

Attachments available upon request:

• Worker testimonies
• Photos and visuals from prior hearings
• Research on state-level heat standards and impacts