Kalee Fahndrich
As temperatures rise across the country, public health departments are declaring heat health emergencies. A heat health emergency occurs when temperatures rise to the point where people, especially those who are vulnerable, are at an increased risk of becoming ill or dying from the heat. According to the World Health Organization, approximately half a million deaths each year are due to extreme temperatures. Rising temperatures can cause heat stress or stroke, and can exacerbate existing illness. Those at the highest risk for heat illness include the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions, as well as outdoor and manual workers. Further, extreme heat disproportionately affects those with low socioeconomic status because of factors like housing quality and access to cooling mechanisms. Not only do extreme temperatures directly impact individuals’ health, but they can also reduce work capacity and productivity, and could disrupt medical services due to power shortages as a result of overwhelmed electrical grids.
Public health departments declare heat emergencies to inform the public of the high temperatures and dangers that heat can bring. These emergency declarations also inform the public of where cooling centers are, just one of the ways to stay safe during a heat emergency.
To address increasing temperatures, local and state governments have also proposed heat prevention policies. In Texas, the cities of Dallas and Austin attempted to pass ordinances to require construction workers to receive a 10-minute water break every four hours, but the ordinances were preempted by a state law signed in 2023 that prevents local governments from passing such ordinances without approval from the state legislature. Several states have passed laws to protect workers from high temperatures. California, for example, passed a law that requires certain outdoor employers, like those in agriculture, to comply with regulations to prevent heat illness. Such regulations include access to water, shade and training on recognizing the signs and symptoms of a heat illness. While other states also have protections in place for outdoor employees, Minnesota passed a law to protect indoor employees from high temperatures. This law requires proper air flow and places guidelines on the amount of work performed in certain indoor temperatures.
Federally, there are no laws or regulations governing exposure to heat for indoor or outdoor employees. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a notice for proposed rulemaking for a standard that would require employers to “plan and control heat hazards in the workplace.” Regulating indoor and outdoor working conditions is one means to address rising temperatures and the dangers of heat. Other areas that may be the target of future regulation include city planning, housing materials and green spaces in cities.
While plenty of data exists as to the dangers of heat, more data is needed to determine the best practices for reducing and preventing heat illness. As public health entities continue to collect such data, it is likely that we will see an increase in proposed regulations to address rising temperatures and protect those most vulnerable from the heat.