Last year was the hottest on record , but global warming isn’t just overheating the planet. It’s killing workers.

Now a new analysis of the impact of state-implemented outdoor heat standards on worker deaths adds to the growing body of scientific research showing that requiring employers to take simple precautions to prevent heat stress can reduce the risk of injury, illness and death from exposure to high temperatures on the job.

Similar precautions are included in the heat standard the Biden administration proposed last year, which the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is expected to finalize by early next year.

Under the proposed federal rule , employers must provide adequate water, rest and shade when the heat index—a measure of how humidity amplifies heat’s effects

See Full Page