Rep. Grijalva introduces legislation to protect workers in high-temperature workplaces
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) said excessive heat officially caused the deaths of 121 workers on the job between 2017 and 2022
WASHINGTON (KYMA, KECY) - Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona), along with other representatives, introduced legislation to ensure the safety and health of workers who work in dangerous heat conditions.
Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Alex Padilla (D-California), and Alma Adams (D-North Carolina) introduced identical legislation in the Senate.
The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes in California for ten hours straight in 105-degree temperatures and died of a heat stroke at the age of 53.
According to Rep. Grijalva's press release, the bill would direct OSHA to establish a permanent, federal standard to protect workers against occupational exposure to excessive heat, both indoor and outdoor environments.
The standard would ensure workers in high-heat environments would have paid breaks in shaded or climate-controlled spaces, providing water for hydration, and requiring emergency response and transportation for workers incurring heat-related illness.
Since there is no federal standard in place, these are requirements that have been adopted by the State of California and resulted in 30 percent fewer heat-related illnesses and injuries.
Lawmakers are urging the Biden-Administration to finalize an OSHA rule protecting workers based on provisions in the Asunción Valdivia Heat Stress Injury, Illness, and Fatality Prevention Act.
“There is no longer any ambiguity around human caused climate change – in Arizona and around the country, we are experiencing record shattering heat as a direct consequence. The climate crisis has made scorching temperatures, incidents of workers collapsing and deaths all too common. We must act now and decisively to protect people,” said House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Rep. Grijalva. “The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act is an urgent piece of legislation that requires much needed and basic labor protections, such as water and breaks, to safeguard indoor and outdoor workers from heat stress and extreme temperatures. I’m proud to join my colleagues to introduce this critical to build on President Biden’s executive order to address heat safety.”
Click here for bill text.
Click here for fact sheet.
Click here for section-by-section.
