President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday that it is proposing new regulations aimed at protecting some workers exposed to high temperatures as heat waves increase due to climate change.
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This regulation, which could cover around 35 million workers according to the government of the Democratic president, would be the first on the subject in the country at the federal level.
“The goal of this rule is simple: to significantly reduce the number of deaths and illnesses suffered by workers who are exposed to excessive heat,” simply “because they are doing their job,” a senior government official told reporters.
The rule, if adopted as is after a period of public debate, would affect delivery workers, construction and pick-up workers, and those in restaurants, particularly in the kitchen.
More specifically, all employers whose workforce engages in physical activity and is exposed to a perceived temperature of more than 26°C would be affected by this regulation.
They will need to be trained and develop action plans, including a person in charge of coordinating heat safety measures.
When the perceived temperature actually reaches 26°C, workers will need to have access to water and cool areas (in the shade, air-conditioned, etc.).
Measures will also have to be put in place to help new employees “acclimatise”, such as more breaks or a reduced workload. “Three out of four workers who die at work because of the heat die within the first week of work,” the senior official stressed.
If the perceived temperature reaches more than 32°C, then 15-minute breaks every two hours will be mandatory and employees’ symptoms will have to be monitored.
Some workers, such as first responders for emergency services, will not be subject to these rules.
The announcement, made at the start of the summer, is part of a series of measures put forward on Tuesday by the Joe Biden administration concerning the heat problem.
But the new regulations could be threatened by a new administration, if Joe Biden does not win the presidential election in November.
