Did you know that Pennsylvania has more laws on its books protecting cats and dogs from the extreme heat than it does protecting workers from unsafe, scorching hot weather conditions?
With the summer weather quickly approaching, Democrats in the Pennsylvania House are attempting to change that by passing legislation that establishes workplace heat protections across the commonwealth.
“ I spoke to my two dogs, Misty and Harper, and they think it’s about time that we have the same protections as humans that they do as animals,” State Rep. Jim Haddock, a cosponsor of House Bill 1580, said during a press conference in the state capitol on Monday. “They want their owners to come home safe in extreme heat.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 40 workers succumb to heat exposure and heat related illnesses each year, but others estimate those numbers could be much higher.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that from 2011 to 2022 more than 33,000 workers across the country experienced some sort of heat related injury that forced them to miss work.
“ It’s a fundamental right for employees everywhere to work in a safe environment,” Maurice Cobb, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, said. “As temperatures across the country are rising and summers are getting hotter, Pennsylvania workers are facing increased risk of heat-related illness and injury and other injuries.”
HB 1580 is part of the Pennsylvania House Democrats’ Blue-Green Caucus agenda that helps bridge the divide between lawmakers, labor unions and environmental advocates, and the bill would require employers to enact safety plans for workers after the heat index goes above 80 degrees.
This includes paid rest breaks, water, access to shade, placing educational signs warning about the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and the proper training to help someone suffering from heat-related illnesses.
“ Our members, the ironworkers, the operating engineers, the laborers, and the roofers, we build the infrastructure that drives our economy,” Micheal Ford, Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania Building & Construction Trades Council, said.
He added, “their work is grueling. Increasingly, they are being forced to work in climate conditions that are becoming lethal, whether it be on a new road or a bridge or on a rooftop in the direct sunlight all day.”
