Protect Workers from Extreme Heat NOW!
Week of Action to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat
The health of more than 69 million workers is at risk from extreme heat this summer — and there are no federal rules in place to protect them. Beginning on June 16th, worker leaders from around the country are mobilizing a Nationwide Week of Action to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat called Fired Up For Heat Justice, to coincide with the start of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s public hearing on their proposed heat rule.
Join us on June 17th for a central action in Washington, DC, that will feature worker leaders testifying at the public hearing and/or sign up here to get connected to dozens of local events happening around the country that same week.
The Situation
American workers need lifesaving heat protections now. Summers are getting much hotter. This year, workers will labor in extreme conditions without guarantees to protect their health, along with access to water, shade, and rest. More people die of heat illness than of any other weather hazard, including hurricanes and floods. As summers keep getting hotter and longer, the number of workers dying from heat in the United States has doubled since the 1990s. Thousands of workers miss at least a day of work each year due to heat-related illnesses incurred on the job. Many more injuries and deaths go unrecognized or unattributed as heat-related. All of these injuries and deaths are preventable.
Fatal workplace heat-related fatalities affect workers across the economy, but were especially concentrated in 4 industries between 2011 and 2020:
Construction workers:
About
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance workers:
Transportation and material moving occupations:
Farming, fishing, and forestry workers:
Heat illness isn’t the only concern. Excessive heat also leads to other work-related accidents. A 2024 study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found that:
“The probability of work-related accidents increases by 5 to 6 percent when the maximum daily temperature rises above 90°F, relative to a day with temperatures in the 65–70°F range. The effect is stronger in the South and for construction workers. Also, the effect of excessive heat is greater on traumatic injuries, including fractures, dislocations, contusions, and lacerations.”
Immigrant workers are overrepresented in these vulnerable jobs. For example, about 30% of construction workers in the United States are immigrants. And in places like California and Texas, they represent closer to 40% of workers.
United States
California and Texas
Making Change
On June 16, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will begin a public hearing on a proposed rule aimed at protecting workers from heat-related illnesses.
OSHA’s Proposed Rule, Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace, and it would more clearly set forth employer obligations and the measures necessary to effectively protect employees from hazardous heat.
What needs to happen:
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OSHA should pass the proposed rule to provide federal protections to workers nationwide.
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States can and should pass their own heat protections. Several states have already done so, but more states must take action.
Right now, there are active campaigns in:
Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Washington, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Virginia, and Illinois
JOIN US in demanding immediate action nationwide now, before another summer of extreme heat. Together, we will hold OSHA accountable and spotlight dozens of active state and local campaigns that are ramping up this summer, showing how to protect workers from heat.
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WHAT:
Fired Up For Heat Justice: Week of Action to Protect Workers from Heat -
WHEN:
Beginning on June 16, 2025 -
WHO:
Workers, advocates, and elected officials from around the nation + YOU! -
WHERE:
Take action wherever you are. Register here to share your story & join the fight
