Heat is the deadliest weather-related threat in the United States.

In fact, heat kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined.

But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) — the federal agency that is supposed to protect workers — has failed to issue workplace heat standards.

• OSHA is dragging its feet despite having all the evidence it needs — for decades.

• Despite the reality that climate change is happening even faster and doing even more damage than feared.

• And despite July officially setting a new record for the hottest month in the entire recorded history of our planet.

Here’s what workers need: sufficient water, access to shade, and breaks.

Public Citizen petitioned OSHA to act in 2011, but the agency declined.

That left workers across the nation — construction workers, gardeners, warehouse workers, and especially farmworkers — exposed to unsafe levels of heat.

These workers are overwhelmingly people of color. More than a third of workers who die from job-related heat stress are Latino.

We petitioned OSHA again in 2018, and are still waiting for the agency to act.

Now, Public Citizen — along with over 100 allied organizations, including Farmworker Justice, Oxfam America, Service Employees International Union, Union of Concerned Scientists, and United Farm Workers — is calling on OSHA to immediately issue emergency standards to protect workers from heat-related illness, injury, and death.

Tell OSHA:

The heat stress crisis is only getting worse as climate change increases the frequency, severity, and duration of heat waves. The need for nationwide workplace heat standards is beyond urgent. Immediately issue emergency standards to protect workers from heat-related illness, injury, and death.

Add your name.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen

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