Biden Administration Announces Federal Heat Safety Policies

“With heat waves spreading across the United States, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect workers — including a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat — as well as measures to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible,” according to an article by Chris Megerian, Drew Costley and Matthew Daly for NBC 4 Washington.

In recent weeks, more than 40 percent of the country has been under extreme heat advisories. In Washington state, the heat index was expected to reach 110 degrees last weekend. “It's a worldwide problem, and scientists calculate that July will be the hottest month on record,” the authors point out.

“As part of the initiative, the department will issue a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat, which has killed 436 workers since 2011, according to federal statistics.” President Biden also directed the Labor Department to boost inspections of dangerous workplaces and enforcement of heat protection regulations.

“The Biden administration plans to spend $7 million to develop more detailed weather predictions to anticipate extreme weather like heat waves, plus $152 million to boost drinking water infrastructure and climate resilience in California, Colorado and Washington.”