New York — Development of heat illness prevention plans for New York City employees and contractors, as well as heat safety guidance intended for everyone who works in the city, are part of an Executive Order signed June 22 by Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).
The EO also directs the Department of Buildings to “review and strengthen” construction site heat safety requirements, with recommendations due by March 1.
For outdoor workers, the EO directs three city departments – emergency management, health and mental hygiene, and citywide administrative services – “to develop and distribute multilingual heat safety guidance … as soon as practicable this year.” Guidance for indoor workers must be issued by March 1.
A press release from the mayor’s office adds: “The order also reinforces existing protections for outdoor workers, including access to bathrooms and workplace reporting requirements.”
Additionally, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is directed to evaluate whether heat illness is a reportable health condition for workers’ compensation claims.
The release points out that more than 1.4 million city workers, around a third of its workforce, spend “extended periods” working outdoors each summer.
“No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health,” Mamdani said in the release. “The workers building our skyline, delivering our packages, selling food on our street corners and keeping this city running deserve to come home safe at the end of every shift.
“In the past, workers have borne the burden of extreme heat while government looked the other way. We’re changing that because every worker’s life is worth protecting. As summer heats up, we’re taking a whole-of-government approach to keeping New Yorkers prepared, safe and cool.”
