Aug. 28—WILKES-BARRE — Rep. Jim Haddock said on Thursday that he is eager to get the first heat protection legislation passed to protect the Pennsylvania workforce.
“It is unbelievable that today our workers do not have protections granted to them dealing with extreme heat stress while at work,” said Haddock, D-Pittston Township. “I am glad to champion H.B.1580 along with Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler and to grant these protections to our workers. Every worker should be able to return home safely at the end of their day and not worry about heat-related injury up to and including death.”
Rep. Haddock and Rep. Fiedler, D-Philadelphia, introduced legislation — H.B. 1580 — this week to protect workers in Pennsylvania from extreme heat on the job.
The legislators said that each year, thousands of Pennsylvania workers are subjected to long hours in potentially fatal heat. They said the risk of heat-related illness or death is particularly great for outdoor construction workers, farmworkers and workers in warehouses or kitchens that lack adequate air conditioning. Many workers impacted are immigrants or non-union workers who may also be at increased risk of retaliation.
There are no federal or statewide heat protections for workers, and the consequences are disastrous, said the legislators. On average, heat kills more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. About 40 workers per year died from exposure to extreme heat over the past decade, and those numbers are likely underestimated.
Haddock and Fiedler said House Bill 1580 is designed to prevent tragedies by requiring employers to offer paid rest breaks, water and access to shade during extreme heat.
“Labor Day is a reminder of our commitment to the workers who put food on our tables, build our roads and bridges, and make Pennsylvania run,” Fiedler said. “When something as simple as a water break can mean the difference between life and death — between a mother coming home after work or her children never seeing her again — there is no excuse. Every workplace heat death is preventable, and these basic measures will save lives.”
The legislation would also:
—Require education on signs about symptoms of conditions like heat stroke.
—Require training on emergency response procedures.
—Guarantee workers protection from retaliation or discrimination based on complaints, pursuit of care for heat-related symptoms, or refusal to work in extreme heat.
The legislators said 2024 was the Earth’s hottest on record, and climate experts anticipate that this trend will continue. As more people across the globe are exposed to higher temperatures for longer periods of time, mitigation strategies will be essential to prevent widespread heat illness and death.
Pennsylvania residents provided comments to OSHA on the importance of the issue.
“I work in a state facility kitchen where we have no air conditioning during the summer,” said Luanna R., a kitchen worker in Canadensis. “During summer’s hours we have three 60-gallon kettles (boiling) with water, steamers and running dish machines where temperatures reached over 100 degrees. The staff tried on numerous occasions to ask for help, but because there are no regulations/laws to help, we have to suffer from heat exhaustion — we have had staff pass out, suffer from asthma and yet no relief was given the staff.”
Haddock and Fiedler said the outcome and strength of federal heat protections are uncertain. They said instead of preparing the workforce for climate change, the Trump administration has taken steps to lay off experts and reduce research on climate- and heat-related initiatives, as well as worker safety.
In the absence of federal guidelines, the legislators said Pennsylvania is the latest state to take steps toward statewide protections, following a nationwide trend that includes Maryland, Oregon, California and recently Virginia.
State senators Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, and Nick Pisciottano, D-Allegheny, will introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.