Map Reveals the Patchwork of U.S. Heat Protections for Workers
Newsweek · C · trust 33/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. As blistering temperatures continue gripping the Northeast and the nation faces more frequent heatwaves, the issue of how to protect Americans—especially outdoor workers—from heat-related illnesses and deaths is becoming more urgent.
According to the latest data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, exposure to environmental heat is killing a rapidly rising number of American workers, many in construction and agriculture, every year.
In 2021, extreme heat killed 36 workers; in 2022, the death toll was 43, in 2023, it was 55 and in 2024, 48.
But while it is getting hotter every summer and the heat is now killing more Americans than ever, as shown by the most recent CDC data, the U.S. government’s response to the problem has been tepid.
Despite some attempts by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to introduce one, the country does not currently have a federal heat standard—a legally binding framework of safety rules designed to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and injuries.
Neither does the European Union, which lacks harmonized EU-wide exposure limits and relies instead on a patchwork of member countries’ regulations. In much of Europe as in the U.S., whether workers are protected from the heat—and how—depends on where they are based.
Only seven U.S. states have set their own enforceable occupational heat standards, including:
California has the strictest heat standard in the nation, which came into effect in July 2024. This requires employers to provide shade, access to fresh drinking water, recovery period, and training to workers when the outdoor temperature exceeds 80 degrees. The same requirements are triggered in most workplaces where the indoor temperature reaches 82 degrees.
Colorado already has in place heat-protection rules that apply to agricultural workers only when temperatures reach 80 degrees. Those rules require employers to provide workers with drinking water, shade, rest breaks, acclimatization procedures and training.
For all other industries, Colorado enacted a worker heat standard, HB 26-1272 or Extreme Temperatures Workers Protection, last month. The law, which requires the state to develop a framework for protecting workers from extreme heat and cold (including temperature mitigation measures, rest breaks, temperature-related injury and illness prevention plans, training, access to water, and others), will take effect on August 12.
Maryland’s Heat Stress Standard took effect on September 30, 2024 and applies to both indoor and outdoor workplaces when the thermometer reaches and exceeds 80 degrees. At 80 degrees, employers must follow their heat-related illness prevention and management plan. At 90 degrees, they need to give workers breaks, access to water and shade, and monitor their health. Between 90 and 100 degrees, workers must be allowed to take a minimum 10-minute break every two hours. Above 100 degrees, workers must rest for at least 15 minutes every hour.
Nevada introduced a similar heat standard in November 2024, with enforcement starting last year, but the state lacks a specific temperature trigger for most requirements. Instead, these are based on a job hazard analysis and risk assessment approach.
Minnesota has set a heat standard for indoor workplaces where workers are exposed to excessive heat only, with limits of 77 degrees for heavy work, 80 degrees for moderate work and 86 degrees for light work.
Both Oregon and Washington have heat standards in place which mandate cool-down rest periods and access to shade at 80 degrees, with heightened requirements over 90 degrees in the Beaver State.
Other states—or at least other cities—might catch up with these seven soon. During the 2025 legislative session, at least 17 states proposed legislation regulating heat safety standards, including Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia.
While New York does not have a statewide enforceable heat standard with specific temperature triggers, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued an executive order last month directing local agencies to develop worker heat-illness-prevention guidance and evaluate stronger protections.
A similar initiative will not be possible in Florida and Texas, which have both passed legislation blocking localities from creating heat protection rules not set by the state.
While there are still no regulations at the federal level protecting workers, OSHA has been trying to fill the existing gap. The agency requires employers to provide working conditions that are free of known hazards likely to cause serious physical harm or death—but there is no specific federal law protecting workers from extreme heat.
Under the Biden administration, OSHA proposed a rule in 2024 that would have introduced a federal heat standard for workers—but its efforts were paused by the Trump administration, which has been silent about its plan to tackle increasingly higher, dangerous temperatures.
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