Federal Heat Safety Standards Could Dramatically Reduce Deaths Among Black Workers

The Trump administration curtailed many progressive regulatory initiatives set by the Biden administration, yet one effort persists: a proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation aimed at safeguarding American workers from heat-related stress. This rule mandates that employers implement extra support measures when temperatures exceed 80 degrees, potentially saving lives, particularly among Black and brown employees. Research, including a recent Health Affairs study, underscores the need for heat standards adopted by various states over the past two decades.California pioneered a heat standard in 2005, applicable solely to outdoor workers, and became an essential control group for research analyzing heat-related fatalities in neighboring states with similar climates from 1999 to 2020. The report highlighted that increased enforcement led to a 33% decline in California's heat fatalities, rising to 5% after stricter revisions in 2015. As heat-related deaths surge nationwide, California’s example is prompting states like Colorado and Maryland to adopt similar protections, underscoring the potential life-saving impact of such regulations.