Federal agencies Legislation Heat stress Workplace exposures

House committee advances bill aimed at protecting workers from heat illness

Bobby-Scott
Photo: Education & Labor Committee Democrats

Washington — The House Education and Labor Committee on July 27 approved the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2021, with a 27-19 vote.

H.R. 2193, sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), would direct OSHA to develop a workplace heat standard within two years of its passage. The legislation includes provisions concerning training and education on prevention and response to heat illness, along with whistleblower protections.

The bill is named in honor of a 53-year-old worker who died in 2004 on a California farm after 10 hours of picking grapes in temperatures as high as 105° F.

Excessive heat is one of the most common and dangerous workplace hazards,” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), chair of the committee, said during his opening statement. “Yet, half a century after OSHA was established, we still have no federal standard that protects workers against heat illnesses and fatalities. Without this basic protection, hundreds of workers in fields, factories, warehouses, construction sites, and other workplaces continue to suffer needless and preventable deaths, illnesses and injuries.”

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OSHA is working on a standard that addresses heat illness in outdoor and indoor settings, and published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking in October. In addition, the agency in April launched a National Emphasis Program aimed at protecting workers from outdoor and indoor heat exposure.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a companion bill in the Senate in April 2021. S. 1068 has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Rep. Fred Keller (R-PA), opposes the House bill. “This top-down mandate from Washington disregards the fact that our country is made up of multiple regions, all with varying climates,” Keller said. “Committee Republicans understand the dangers of extreme heat exposure to workers. However, one-size-fits-all standards are not the answer to address a complex hazard.”

The bill now goes to the full House for a vote.

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Sean
August 24, 2023
This article is ridiculous. The differences in climate should not affect the rules that are put into place to protect workers from heat related illnesses. People who work outdoors in direct sunlight have no protection whatsoever from the heat and or the sun and it’s wrong. It’s not hard to recognize that people who work in direct sunlight experience much higher temperatures than the heat index measures. When is our government going to start protecting its citizens? The politicians of our country who aren’t supporting protecting Americans from heat related illnesses should be ashamed of themselves. All of them should be forced to spend one day doing a strenuous job on the roof on an 106 degree day with 80% humidity so they know what it’s like. It’s really sad that people are dying from the heat and all we hear are excuses about why new rules can’t be implemented to prevent others from losing their lives.