In the midst of escalating temperatures, Pima County has implemented a new heat safety ordinance aimed at protecting workers from the health hazards associated with the region's intensifying heat climate. Effective yesterday, companies interested in contracting with the county are now required to develop a Heat Injury and Illness Prevention and Safety Plan. The ordinance, passed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors on August 19, is part of a sweeping initiative to combat the effects of climate change and is unique within Arizona for its focus on heat-related workplace safety.
With summer 2024 marking one of the most sweltering to date, tied with the records of 2020, the National Weather Service has reported 38 days of temperatures soaring to 105 degrees or higher in Pima County. The response from the County Health Department, seeing climate change and extreme heat as a public health emergency, has been a zealous campaign coined "Beat the Heat", offering guidelines for recognizing and preventing heat illnesses. Partnered with the City of Tucson, the County has established nearly three dozen cooling centers, according to Pima County's news release.
County Administrator Jan Lesher is behind a new Administrative Procedure that establishes heat safety protocols directly addressing County employees. Following suit, the heat ordinance imposes similar requirements for contractors and subcontractors, ensuring those performing outdoor work under county contracts are also protected. Adelita Grijalva, Chair of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the ordinance's leading advocate, stated on the Pima County official website, "We live in a desert and climate change is turning up the heat, so it was imperative that we take decisive action to protect county employees and the employees of our contractors and subcontractors from the severe health impacts of extreme heat."
For businesses signing on with the County, a comprehensive Heat Plan Guide has been made available to assist in the creation of their own safety plans. They can also access a template for a Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Safety Plan and additional resources including safety checklists and best practices for businesses on Pima County's dedicated webpage. The proactive approach taken by Pima County has been identified as a model of quality across the nation and may serve as a bellwether for similar initiatives in other regions. It offers a substantial framework for safeguarding the well-being of outdoor workers up against the reality of a warming world, further detailed by Grijalva, "We are the first Arizona county to adopt such an ordinance and its quality, recognized nationally, can set an example for others."
