Daily Kos reports on the problem of workplace heat, and the issue of workplace heat standards:


USW, other unions and dozens of professional groups continue advocating for a national standard that would specify the steps all employers must take to protect workers from record and increasingly frequent heat waves associated with climate change.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last year proposed a standard but hasn’t yet adopted it, even though heat contributes to tens of thousands of sicknesses and injuries annually...

A handful of states have their own heat standards in the absence of a national one, and a new study of California’s requirements underscores the effectiveness of mandatory cool-down periods and other simple, common-sense safety measures.

The study, published last week by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, focused on workers in agriculture, construction, transportation and other outdoor settings. It found that the standard reduced heat-related injuries by as much as 27 percent, with the strongest impact among workers 35 and under.

You can read the full article in Daily Kos here.

Visit our website for information on the WCRI study they cite: Impact of California’s Heat Standard on Workers’ Compensation Outcomes.