A heatwave is expected to grip most of the East Coast, with higher than seasonal temperatures from Florida to Massachusetts and into the interior of the Eastern United States. The heat index in Florida is looking concerning – but in 10 days, the State will enforce a ban on heat protection for workers.
The extremely controversial law was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis in April and prohibits any cities and counties in Florida from passing heat protections for workers, like the ones that Miami-Dade County considered last year. The failed Republican Presidential nominee (DeSantis only got 1.6 percent of the primary votes) distanced himself from the bill after signing it, saying that it did not come from him.
The law, known as HB 433, becomes effective on July 1 and blocks the local government from requiring that employers provide basic heat safety protection: shade, water breaks, employee monitoring, and “appropriate first-aid measures.” As reported by Orlando Weekly, business lobbying groups made this bill a priority in the legislature. It is considered an extremely short-sighted policy that will cost lives and will damage the economy.
A report from Public Citizen last year showed that heat stress kills up to 2,000 people and also causes 170,000 injuries on job sites every year in the United States. It disproportionately affects lower-income workers as well as Black and Brown people. The report shows that failure to implement heat safety measures costs the US economy $100 billion per year, and the brunt of that is paid by employers.
“It’s incomprehensible that people who live in Florida, and are supposed to represent the people of Florida, can vote against the health and safety of the workers that make this economy run, who were considered essential workers just a couple years ago and given PPE, are now treated like this, and not giving protection from extreme heat,” Jeannie Economos, an organizer with the Farmworker Association of Florida, told The Miami Herald. “That makes no sense and it’s unconscionable.”
For each 1°C of warming, the number of workplace injuries goes up by 1 percent. As summer gets into full swing, with even more sweltering temperatures on the horizon, workers across Florida will have even less protection. Record temperatures were registered across many cities and counties of the state last year. Back in August 2023, the city of Orlando got to a temperature of 37.7°C (100°F), breaking a record set in 1938.
Source Link: Florida Law Banning Heat Protections For Workers Comes Into Effect As Heatwave Hits