New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani yesterday signed an Executive Order directing a “whole-of-government response” to protect workers from extreme heat.  The order directs the departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Emergency Management and the Citywide Administrative Services to develop and distribute multilingual heat safety guidance for outdoor workers as soon as practicable this year. Guidance for indoor workers will be issued by March 1, 2027.

There have been a number of studies on workers’ compensation claims related to heat. Workers’ compensation claims are 45% more frequent and 20% more severe on hot days, according to the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF). Research by the Workers Compensation Research Institute found that workplace heat-related illnesses increase considerably on days when temperatures exceed 90 degrees compared with days between 75 and 80 degrees.

You can read (or listen to!) the full report here.  WCRI research on the topic of heat-related injuries includes Impact of Excessive Heat on the Frequency of Work-Related Injuries and Impact of California’s Heat Standard on Workers’ Compensation Outcomes.  You can download them to find out more.