As extreme heat soars, laws to protect outdoor workers are bubbling up — and facing resistance
As weather starts to cool in much of the country, the heat-baked cement and sweaty afternoons from this summer fade from collective memory. But activists and labor groups representing outdoor workers haven’t forgotten. They are pushing lawmakers and regulators to keep facing the heat.
On Tuesday, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners will take a final vote on a proposed heat standard to protect outdoor workers. If approved, it will be the first comprehensive local heat standard for outdoor workers in the country, going beyond requiring rest breaks and giving local officials regulatory teeth in a realm that lacks real oversight.
