29 votes

US workers are dying in heat wave but Joe Biden administration is still working on federal standards for working in extreme heat

Posted by boxer_dogs_dance
Tags: work, usa, disasters.natural, heatwaves, employees, regulation, standards, deaths, politics, democratic party, joe biden, osha, author.chris isidore, source.cnn
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/21/business/worker-safety-heat-protections-osha/index.html

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Title
Heat can kill on the job, and these workers are dying | CNN Business
Published
Jul 21 2023

8 comments

  1. [5]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [3]
      chiliedogg
      Link Parent
      The law is much worse than that. Those of us in municipal government refer to it as the Death Star Bill because it basically blows up everything for us. It bans almost all municipal Ordinances and...

      The law is much worse than that. Those of us in municipal government refer to it as the Death Star Bill because it basically blows up everything for us.

      It bans almost all municipal Ordinances and laws that aren't specifically authorized by the state. It's really, really bad.

      What we're doing is basically ignoring it though. It's so broad we can basically ignore it entirely while waiting for our to get overturned or shut down City Hall.

      27 votes
      1. [2]
        grumble
        Link Parent
        What else can you do? This is actively horrible culture war stuff with likely negative productivity benefit that will also lead to lots of deaths. It's just so disgusting.

        What we're doing is basically ignoring it though.

        What else can you do? This is actively horrible culture war stuff with likely negative productivity benefit that will also lead to lots of deaths.

        It's just so disgusting.

        15 votes
        1. AFuddyDuddy
          Link Parent
          That pretty much sums up Texas politics right now. And I'm a Texan.

          It's just so disgusting

          That pretty much sums up Texas politics right now.

          And I'm a Texan.

          7 votes
  3. [3]
    MaoZedongers
    Link
    Jeez, how does this not already exist?

    Jeez, how does this not already exist?

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      I share your opinion. If you want a nonrhetorical answer, US politics has always been a struggle between interest groups and labor frequently gets short shrift. From the article, Business...

      I share your opinion.

      If you want a nonrhetorical answer, US politics has always been a struggle between interest groups and labor frequently gets short shrift. From the article,

      Business interests, including the US Chamber of Commerce, are objecting to the rule making proposal, saying the question of what heat conditions are safe for workers is a complex question not easily addressed by a set of standards and rules and that differences in exertion and physical condition of workers plays a role in the risk from heat.

      15 votes
      1. vord
        Link Parent
        Yea it's a pretty disguisting arguement. "yea, but how can we be absolutely certain that they're doing their legally mandated 'avoid death' break, and not just slacking off." Maybe, just maybe, if...

        Yea it's a pretty disguisting arguement.

        "yea, but how can we be absolutely certain that they're doing their legally mandated 'avoid death' break, and not just slacking off."

        Maybe, just maybe, if we stopped treating laborers as second-class citizens and started treating them like people they'd have better incentives to not slack off.

        IE: If you're a construction worker paid by the hour, your incentivized to slack off a bit rather than finish quickly. If you're paid per-job (and the day's load is reasonable), you're more likely to work quickly so you can get an early sign off.

        15 votes