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Biden proposes protecting workers during heatwaves
Anyone working above 80F will be entitled to more breaks in shaded or air-conditioned spaces
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Workers are to get new protections during extreme temperatures under new proposals from Joe Biden’s White House.
The rule would be aimed at mail carriers, delivery people, construction workers, landscapers, restaurant staff and others exposed to consistently high heat indexes, which measures how the temperature actually feels to humans.
The measure - which would affect about 35 million workers, according to the US government - would apply to those working both inside or outside who can expect to be exposed to a heat index of 80F (26C) or higher.
“The purpose of this rule... is to significantly reduce the number of worker-related deaths, injuries and illnesses suffered by workers who are exposed to excessive heat... simply by doing their jobs,” a senior administration official told reporters.
The proposals come as authorities are warning of extreme health and wildfire risks across California this week, as the longest heat wave of the year is set to kick off Tuesday.
The US’s largest state is predicted to sizzle under triple-digit temperatures, with little overnight cooling.
“This is really just a long-duration heat event that will provide little to no overnight [temperature] relief,” Antoinette Serrato, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told the LA Times.
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Under the proposed rule, employers would be required to develop heat injury and illness prevention plans, and appoint a workplace heat safety coordinator.
If the heat index were to hit 80F, workers would have to be provided with drinking water and access to break areas in the shade or in air-conditioned spaces.
Measures also would have to be implemented to allow for the “acclimatisation” of employees who are either new or returning to work after illness, including more frequent breaks and a reduced workload until employees are back up to speed.
“Three out of four workers who die on the job” due to heat-related illnesses “die in that first week on the job”, the official said.
The rule, if finalised after a period for public debate, would be the first such rule in the United States at a federal level.
If the heat index were to exceed 90F, all employees would be allowed a 15-minute break every two hours, and managers would be required to monitor their workers for symptoms of heat-related illnesses.
Some workers, such as emergency medical personnel, would not be subject to the new rule.
However, the new work rule faces being scrapped by a new administration should Biden not be re-elected in November.