Sunrise On First National Heat Protections for Workers: “This Will Save Lives”

Today, the Biden Administration is announcing first-of-their-kind regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect millions of American workers exposed to dangerous heat on the job. Sunrise has been urging OSHA to update these standards as part of the Climate Emergency Campaign.

The OSHA regulations would require employers to monitor workers and provide rest areas with shade and water. Additionally, the regulations would require employers to create heat safety plans, establish heat safety coordinators, and undergo extreme heat safety training. These regulations would provide protections for an estimated 35 million workers.

“This is a huge movement win and the kind of action young people are looking for from President Biden. As millions of people face deadly, record-breaking heat, there couldn’t be a more important time to act,” said Sunrise Executive Director Aru Shiniey-Ajay. “Last year, a record 2300 people died of extreme heat, and climate change is only going to make it worse.”

“Whether it’s OSHA or FEMA, our communities cannot afford for the government to be using outdated rules in an era of climate crisis. We will continue organizing to make sure OSHA implements strong rules and to demand that FEMA classify extreme heat as a ‘major disaster’ so local governments have the resources they need to save lives.”

Sunrise Movement is continuing to work with a coalition of labor and environmental groups to push FEMA to recognize extreme heat as a major disaster.