Harrisburg, PA — Labor leaders and workers joined Pennsylvania lawmakers at a June 2 press conference to call for the passage of a state bill aimed at preventing heat-related injuries and illnesses on the job.
Introduced last year by Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) and Jim Haddock (D-118th District), H.B. 1580 would direct the commonwealth’s Department of Labor and Industry to issue a regulation on heat. The bill would require employers to provide workers with paid rest breaks, water and access to shade, along with training on the signs and symptoms of heat illness and emergency response procedures.
Before the press conference, the House Labor and Industry Committee heard testimony during a public hearing on the bill.
During the hearing, Fiedler said that the heat protections will benefit workers in a variety of industries, whether it’s “serving food in restaurants, operating machinery at construction sites, teaching in school buildings or driving trucks full of packages. Many of these people have no protection when extreme temperatures hit.”
Sens. Timothy Kearney (D-Delaware) and Nick Pisciottano (D-Allegheny) introduced a companion bill (S.B. 1204) in the state Senate earlier this year. If the bills pass, Pennsylvania would join California, Colorado, Maryland and Minnesota with heat regulations intended to protect workers.
Haddock pointed out during the hearing that although current state law provides heat protections for pets, such as dogs and cats, workers aren’t similarly protected.
