With temperatures soaring into the 90s, those working outside need to take additional precautions throughout the day.
“We got guys rolling right now and they’re just sweating sitting - so I keep an eye on them,” said Nick Kelliher, a construction foreman for Hatch Asphalt Management.
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Kelliher’s been working outside for 15 years and knows the challenges construction workers face in the extreme heat.
“You gotta watch your guys. Sometimes we have machines that have AC in them - some that don’t so you just gotta keep an eye on your guys to keep hydrated.”
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Now the health risks associated with working in extreme heat conditions are being amplified by the Biden- Harris Administration as they propose a new rule to protect millions of workers.
Robert Naumes Jr., a partner at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers describes the proposal as a way, “to make people more aware of the heat and for companies to implement different policies and training policies in order to keep workers safe from heat stroke and other heat related injuries.”
The new rule would also require employers to implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks, and control of indoor heat
“It’s obviously not binding yet people are going to be able to submit comments to the proposed rules and it will take some time,” said Naumes Jr.
Workers like Kelliher say they’re lucky to work for a company that takes care of them. “(We have a) great boss he supplies us with water, ice sometimes he supplies us with food- little rare but it’s still nice.”
But not everyone is so lucky. And local organizations like the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health say without enforcement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers may not see any improvement for years.
“Real enforcement with teeth in it won’t happen for a good number of years yet,” said Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health’s Rick Rabin.
“It needs to be on OSHA to protect the millions and millions of workers who work outside.”
The proposed rule is subject to public comment as well as a review from OSHA. If the rule is implemented, opponents say they have plans to challenge it in court.
