In a move responding to the hazards posed by rising temperatures, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has urged federal agencies and legislative bodies to prioritize the safety of laborers across the nation, as extreme heat in the workplace poses increasing threats. Raoul, with support from a contingent of 11 attorneys general, called upon the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Congress, and President Joe Biden's administration to establish clear standards for occupational heat exposure.
The coalition is pushing for OSHA to set an emergency heat standard before the summer's swelter hits—addressing a notable gap in worker protection, which as of now, overlooks a specific standard against escalating temperatures or intensifying heat waves; an omission that places workers in serious jeopardy as the climate crisis magnifies such threats. As detailed in a statement by Raoul, they reminded the agency of its responsibility to intervene when workers face grave dangers, with a temporary standard deemed crucial.
In addition to urging an immediate response from OSHA, the attorneys general are advocating for legislative action—prompting Congress to pass the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, named after a farmworker who succumbed to heatstroke after a long, intense labor in high temperatures; this act, if passed, would guide OSHA in implementing both short-term and enduring strategies to safeguard workers from heat-related risks.
"I will continue to advocate for an occupational heat standard to protect vulnerable workers from heat-related illnesses or even death," Raoul stated, emphasizing the necessity of measures including the provision of water breaks and shade; the Illinois AG substantiated his stance by acknowledging the heightened risk to sectors like farming and construction, where employees are particularly susceptible to the perilous, heat-laden conditions that accompany climate change. Alongside Illinois, attorneys generals from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania have joined forces in this plea.
While the coalition has set a deadline of May 1 for OSHA to respond with an emergency temporary standard, the collective voice from these states echoes a broader concern for worker safety amid environmental changes—lending urgency to the call for protective regulations that transcend individual state lines and address the national scope of an ever-warming America.
