The administration of President Joe Biden is proposing a novel solution to protect both indoor and outdoor labourers from the damaging effects of excessive heat as the country experiences unprecedented summertime temperatures.
However, it will probably take years to implement a federal rule that could be overturned by the US Supreme Court, which recently delivered a significant setback to the federal government’s regulatory powers, or by Donald Trump himself should he win the presidency. Employees are currently at the mercy of their employers or the few states that have acted independently. “Even in the most optimistic, best-case scenario, this federal heat standard would not take effect for a few years,” stated Terri Gerstein, the director of the Labour Initiative at the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University.
Juanita Constible, a labour and heat specialist with the nonprofit Natural Resources Defence Council, stated that “we have a long way to go.” This month, the Labour Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a draft proposal that would impose control measures, such as providing employees with cool drinking water and paid rest breaks when necessary when the heat index reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.7 degrees Celsius).
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