A proposed rule from the the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would for the first time set in place regulations to better protect workers from extreme heat. Above, a construction worker takes a break and drinks some water during a heatwave in Boston on June 19.
“Workers all over the country are passing out, suffering heat stroke and dying from heat exposure from just doing their jobs, and something must be done to protect them,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , said in The proposed rule comes as the nation continues to experience record-shattering heat waves and extreme weather activity, and as more than 75 million people were under heat alerts on Tuesday.Heat-related deaths have climbed over the past few years as the globe continues to grapple with more extreme weather conditions, and scientific consensus says climate change brought on by human activity is to blame.