"As outdoor workers labor in extreme temperatures, they are vulnerable to heat-related illnesses that can be fatal. Climate change raises the risks. "
"Parts of the country are expecting another round of searing, potentially record-shattering heat in the coming days, and many farm and construction workers will be out in it—with no federal heat stress standards directing their employers to offer them water, rest or shade.
Despite recommendations going back more than 40 years, the federal government has repeatedly failed to set a heat stress standard for American workers.
On Tuesday, the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, along with United Farm Workers Foundation and Farmworker Justice, joined more than 130 public health and environmental groups in submitting a petition to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration calling for the agency to require employers to protect their workers from heat by imposing mandatory rest breaks, hydration and access to shade or cooled spaces, among other measures."
Georgina Gustin reports for InsideClimate News July 17, 2018.
