5,000 signatures reached
To: Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Urge OSHA to Implement Immediate Heat Standards
The summer heat is on the way and the majority of farm workers are still unprotected. OSHA must implement immediate heat rules.
Farm workers are as much as 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian occupation. Climate change is worsening this hazard. In recent years, record-high temperatures have been seen across the country.
These extreme temperatures could make thousands of farm workers seriously ill -- and even suffer heat stroke and die. Outdoor workers need more than general duty clauses. They need enforceable protections so dangerous incidents never happen.
Heat deaths are preventable tragedies. The prevention is nothing complicated: shade, cool water, rest, education and monitoring.
Why is this important?
The summer heat will soon be here and farm workers and other outdoor workers desperately
need a federal heat standard. The need is more urgent than ever, with the way the government
has shifted to the right.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill which bans local ordinances giving workers water
and shade breaks. It also bans local governments from requiring that employers conduct heat-
exposure training programs. It takes away protections for employees who report heat exposure
issues and removes record-keeping requirements. The new law takes effect July 1.
Texas - already first in work-related heat exposure deaths - passed a similar law last summer.
The “Death Star Bill” limits local governments from establishing ordinances for mandatory
water and shade breaks for outdoor workers.
These state bills are examples of why all farm workers and outdoor workers desperately need
federal heat protections. Heat risk is real. Climate change is happening and outdoor workers are
more and more in danger every year. Extreme temperatures could make thousands of workers
seriously ill – and even suffer heat stroke and die.
Farm workers are as much as 35 times more likely to die from heat than any other civilian
occupation. Only a handful of states – California, Oregon and Washington – have policies on
farm work in extreme heat. This lack of regulations puts farm workers in an impossible situation
where they are forced to choose between making a living and taking care of their health.
Currently, OSHA is relying on the "general duty" clause that says the general duty of an
employer is to provide safe working conditions. That's not enough. Instead, workers need
enforceable protections and penalties – including criminal proceedings – so dangerous incidents
never happen.
The men, women and children working in our fields can't wait. A Department of Labor
committee recommended OSHA pass permanent rules, but this can take years. Workers need
immediate heat standards to be put in place – before more people die.
Heat deaths are preventable tragedies. The prevention is nothing complicated: shade, cool
water, rest, education and monitoring. Sign our petition today and demand OSHA enact
immediate heat regulations!