Worker Heat Protections Needed for ‘Climate Crisis,’ Walsh Says

The need for a worker heat stress prevention standard is a climate change and racial equity issue, U.S. Department of Labor officials said.

“Climate change has become a climate crisis,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said Tuesday during the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s virtual stakeholder meeting on initiatives to protect workers from heat illnesses.

“This is not only a worker protection issue; protection against heat illness is a racial equity issue as well,” said Doug Parker, the assistant secretary who oversees OSHA. Workers of color “are more likely to work in jobs where they are exposed to high levels ...