In a world that's getting hotter, laws don't protect most workers who are subject to extreme heat, and some are not even guaranteed water breaks, no matter the temperature, report Jacob Bogage and Eli Tan of The Washington Post. "Recent weeks have seen Earth's highest average temperatures on record, according to climate studies, yet most U.S. workers have few legal protections related to extreme heat conditions. The federal government is in the midst of a years-long process to draft heat safety rules, and only six states have their own regulations that guarantee laborers access to water, rest and shade — the three elements that medical professionals say can protect workers from heat illness." The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website explains that heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, happen "when the body is not able to properly cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, this might not be enough. In these cases, a person's body temperature rises faster than it can cool itself down. This can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs."

Heat exposure can lead to poor decision-making and indirectly cause accidents. "Between 2017 and 2022, the deaths of 121 workers on the job were officially attributed directly to heat, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which says that number is almost surely an undercount because heat-related deaths are often blamed on other workplace accidents or underlying health conditions." Elizabeth Strater, director of strategic campaigns for the United Farm Workers, told the Post: "You are already reacting more slowly, and you are making different choices than you would. A lot of people become irritable at this point, they’re not going to be taking the advice of the people around them."

Read the full article about protecting workers from extreme heat by Heather Close at The Rural Blog.