Federal officials are noticing the triple digit heat indexes in Texas and are issuing a Heat Illness Alert for the Lone Star State. It's calling on area employe
in Texas and are issuing a Heat Illness Alert for the Lone Star State. It's calling on area employers to protect their workers who may be working outside in this week's heat., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is warning that working outdoors-- and even indoors-- can be dangerous in this heat. And in their message, OSHA has some startling information for new construction workers who think they can just jump into the job in summer-like heat.
Protecting workers from the dangers of heat illness sounds simple enough but labor advocates note there are no specific state or federal laws on this topic. Ana Gonzales with Texas AFL-CIO notes, “There are no specific requirements around breaks. There are no specific requirements around other types of safety, so it’s just a general clause that says the employer is required to provide a safe workplace."reads, “All employees performing construction activities at a construction site are entitled to a rest break of no less than ten minutes for every four hours worked by city council resolution.
Some business leaders complain having different local laws on the topic is burdensome, so they got state lawmakers to passin the last regular session. It bars cities and counties in Texas from enacting local ordinances that go further than what’s allowed under state law.And as far as the feds, their Heat Illness Alert reminds workers that "federal law entitles you to a safe workplace free of known health and safety hazards... This includes heat exposure.
OSHA Texas Workers Employers Local Laws Safety Construction
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