It's that time of the year in North Texas where the spring showers start to subside and the stifling summer heat moves in, which is great if you're lounging by a body of water all summer.
But many North Texans are still working labor intensive jobs during the summer months that can become dangerous and even deadly when temperatures exceed 100 degrees.
Landscapers, construction workers, farm hands, and other employees who work outside during the day are at risk of heat related injuries, but so are the North Texans who work inside that may not have access to air conditioning, regular breaks, or cold water during the work day.
Sharon Block, National Labor Relations Board member and executive director for the Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School, spoke with NTX Now's Miranda Suarez about the regulations needed to keep workers safe in hot environments, and what's standing in the way of implementing those rules in Texas.
These interview highlights have been edited for length and clarity. To hear the full conversation, click the 'listen' button above.
Dangers of working in the heat
Both outdoor and indoor workers are vulnerable in extreme heat.
"Imagine working in a kitchen in a small restaurant and it's 90 or 95 degrees outside," Block said. "Even if there's air conditioning, if there is not particular attention to the heat in your workplace, you are vulnerable just like a construction worker working outside."
Block also said there are underlying health conditions that can make workers more vulnerable, especially depending on the conditions that person returns to after they leave the jobsite.
"If you then go home and it's still pretty hot and you don't have good air conditioning or the temperature in your home doesn't go down, one, your body is experiencing the stress of heat over a longer period of time," Block said. "Two, you're also probably not sleeping well and we know that not sleeping well also creates stress on your body."
Why North Texas no longer has heat safety regulations
Right now in Texas, heat safety regulations are up to the employer to implement, but Block said that isn't due to lack of trying.
"Several communities in Texas tried to regulate exposure to heat, the danger of extreme heat at the city or the county level... [and] they were moving towards doing that," Block said. "The state legislature passed a law preempting those local ordinances."
That law is sometimes referred to as the 'Death Star Bill.'
What can employees do who aren't receiving heat protection strategies?
Block said coworkers should talk to each other about their working conditions. She says there is power in collective action and the National Labor Relations Act protects that right.
"Research shows that you save workers' lives when you put these simple protections into place," Block said. "Workers everywhere are going to be impacted by these temperatures, so workers everywhere should be protected."
Miranda Suarez is a co-host of KERA's NTX Now. Got a tip? Email Miranda at msuarez@kera.org.
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