US Outdoor Workers Face Rising Heat Risks as Federal Safety Rules Stay Frozen

Working In Extreme Heat

Outdoor laborers across the United States face severe heat risks as temperatures rise and federal safety rules remain frozen. Esther Minton, a worker with Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 28 in New York City, wears long-sleeved shirts to protect her skin while working on roofs and building sides where direct sun exposure is constant. Workers during summer months must manage dehydration, extremely hot portable toilets, and metals heated by sunlight. Minton notes that the body fights hard to stay cool and avoid dehydration by lunchtime.

Rollback Of Safety Rules

The rising temperatures coincide with the White House and congressional Republicans rolling back rules meant to protect workers from heat injury. In January 2025, federal officials indefinitely froze Biden-era safety regulations that would have required water, shade, rest breaks, training, and prevention plans. House Republicans have pushed legislation to block the Department of Labor from issuing workplace heat protections, while state leaders in Florida and Texas passed laws stopping local governments from enacting their own rules. Business groups and lobbyists from agriculture and construction opposed the standards, arguing that employers already handle these needs and that rules create burdens.

Kitchen Conditions And State Rules

Workers at a Climate Week roundtable in New York City rejected the claim that employers do enough. Donald Nesbit, executive vice-president of Local 372, recalled working in old school kitchen basements where summer temperatures reached 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Only seven US states currently have enforceable heat prevention standards. A December 2025 study in Health Affairs showed that California outdoor heat protections reduced workplace heat deaths by at least 33 percent since 2010. Julie Su, deputy mayor of New York City and former labor secretary, stated that the country needs a federal standard. In June, Su and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued local heat protections for city workers because of the federal pullback.

Fatality Statistics

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that over 550 US workers die and nearly 28,000 are injured each year from heat exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that heat caused more than 2,300 deaths across the US in 2023 and 2024 combined, marking the highest totals in 45 years of records. A Department of Labor spokesperson stated that OSHA is reviewing public hearing comments on a proposed heat injury prevention rule and provides safety guidance to employers.