President Donald Trump will have the chance to adopt — or ignore — new workplace safety regulations that could help prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses.
Last August, nine workers in the U.S. between the ages of 19 and 71 died as a result of heat-related issues while they were working. Their jobs included everything from grass cutting to truck unloading, repairing farm equipment and construction, according to the New York Times.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began public hearings on Monday on a proposed rule intended to help prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths on the job. If the rule is passed, it would be the first of its kind.
Considering heat’s effects on laborers has become an especially pressing issue as global temperatures continue to rise due to human-driven climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
The rule was proposed last summer by the Biden administration, and it would require employers to provide water and rest breaks when temperatures pass certain levels.
Even if OSHA agrees to adopt the new rule, the Trump administration is not legally obligated to implement them, according to the New York Times.
Since his return to power, Trump has largely pushed to roll back environmental and safety regulations that protect workers but can hamper productivity or otherwise cut into employers’ profits.
Deaths and illnesses related to heat have skyrocketed in recent years due to human-driven climate change. Last summer was the hottest on record during the hottest year on record, and on average heat kills more people every year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined, according to the National Weather Service.
David Keeling, Trump’s OSHA head, has raised some concerns among workers’ health watchdogs. He formerly worked as a health and safety executive at UPS and Amazon — both companies that have been fined for workplace safety violations, including issues related to heat.
Worker health advocates have seen Trump’s willingness to allow the public hearings as a good sign, but they remain concerned that the federal government may try to push through a weaker version of the proposed protections.
Under the proposed OSHA rule, at a heat index of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius), companies will be required to provide water to their workers and break areas. At a 90F (32.2C), they must also offer workers 15-minute breaks every two hours, in addition to other heat-illness mitigation measures.
The thresholds are based off a 2020 study by OSHA that identified a “heat death line,” which is a temperature below which few heat deaths typically occur.
The “heat death line” is 80F. According to the study, 96 percent of heat-related deaths occur at temperatures above that line.
While OSHA’s rule would be aimed at establishing a federal standard, at least seven states have adopted their own workplace heat rules, with others considering similar protections, according to the Times.
State lawmakers in Texas and Florida — two of the hottest states in the U.S. — have passed laws stopping local governments from enacting their own workplace heat standards.
