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Extreme Heat Spurs New Laws Aimed at Protecting Workers Worldwide (nytimes.com) 56

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Governments worldwide are implementing heat protection laws as 2.4 billion workers face extreme temperature exposure and 19,000 die annually from heat-related workplace injuries, according to a World Health Organization and World Meteorological Organization report.

Japan imposed $3,400 fines for employers failing to provide cooling measures when wet-bulb temperatures reach 28C. Singapore mandated hourly temperature sensors at large outdoor sites and requires 15-minute breaks every hour at 33C wet-bulb readings. Southern European nations ordered afternoon work stoppages this summer when temperatures exceeded 115F across Greece, Italy and Spain.

The United States lacks federal heat standards; only California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon and Washington have state-level protections. Boston passed requirements for heat illness prevention plans on city projects. Enforcement remains inconsistent -- Singapore inspectors found nearly one-third of 70 sites violated the 2023 law. Texas and Florida prohibit local governments from mandating rest and water breaks.

Extreme Heat Spurs New Laws Aimed at Protecting Workers Worldwide More | Reply

Extreme Heat Spurs New Laws Aimed at Protecting Workers Worldwide

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  • 115F? (Score:3)

    by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @03:50PM (#65666708)

    Is there a maximum limit to the number of times you can say Celsius in a paragraph before an American's head explodes? Is that why the units were mixed in the most braindead way while talking about a group of countries that explicitly don't use Fahrenheit?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xenx ( 2211586 )
      I had a similar thought. I appreciate when both system are included, as it usually saves me time getting an exact conversion if I care, but that obviously isn't the way to do it.

    • Because then you have to think a second before saying things like:

      28C? That's what we call a nice day in Florida!

      • But this article is about Europe. Do people in Florida even know a world exists outside of Florida?

        • Florida is literally mentioned right there in TFS. The hilarious part is just that the use of Celsius makes you have to stop and think for a second that what Japan considers too hot is someone else's rather pleasant weather.

          • They're also mixing wet bulb and normal temps. In any case, the Japan wet bulb temp of 28C they mention is pretty uncomfortable without some kind of active cooling.

    • There are only three temperatures mentioned in the summary (C,C,F) and two in the NY Times article (F,F). I think this is more of a YOU problem. Roughly every country in the world uses Celsius other than the US.

      Rough Celsius conversion can be done by doubling the Celsius value and adding 30. It isn't perfect but it's close. Another datapoint is 37C = 98.6F Ever wonder why our US body temperature standard is such a strange decimal fraction? For the rest of the world it is a convenient integer.

      20C = 68F
      3

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by necro81 ( 917438 )

        and two in the NY Times article (F,F).

        For a long while now, I've desperately wished for the mainstream U.S.-based newspapers to start adding dual dimensions, at least in their sci-tech articles. I'm sure the reporters are tired of, say, writing about things that are 0.6 mi or 330 feet, when any scientifically-literate person knows that's actually code for 1 km or 100 m. Or trying to muddy the distinction among the different versions of ton.

        Instead, I propose a new editorial standard for them: just put in the dual dimensions. Along the li

        • Reading the article

          Notice how they only refer to "workers" and never that 90% (USA and other countries) workplace fatalities are men.

          They spend roughly a thousand words avoiding saying that men are most affected, men are most vulnerable, men are doing worse.

          There are two types of narratives from politicans, the media, UN, WEF, NGOs:

          - It's "women and girls most affected" if the statistics show it
          - It's generic workers, generic people if the statistics show that men and boys are doing worse or negatively affe

  • Meanwhile... (Score:5, Informative)

    by abulafia ( 7826 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @03:53PM (#65666716)
    The US is dropping workplace safety monitoring [prospect.org], particularly for all those miners [theguardian.com] whom a certain nostalgic segment of people who have never worked in mines like to claim they're looking out for.

    The US was doing something [dol.gov]. That effort appears dead now.

    Instead, states like Florida and Texas [kut.org] are heading the other direction, making it impossible for local government to protect people.

    I'm sure your foreman will allow you have water every 2 hours, he's a nice guy, right? Not that like that last jerk.

    • You missed the best part and directly related to this story. Texas got rid of the mandate that construction companies provide breaks for their workers in high heat [npr.org].

      This doesn't mean the company can't give their workers breaks, just that it is no longer mandated. How many do you think no longer give these breaks?

    • Re:Meanwhile... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by El Fantasmo ( 1057616 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @04:31PM (#65666806)

      It's real. Texas has banned it. A state run by so-called "pro-life" "Christians" who espouse "small and limited government" have, once again, overturned a life saving measures enacted by local city governments.

      https://thehill.com/opinion/he... [thehill.com]

      • I think you said it right and said it well. I also find it ironic that most "pro-life" people think that there are too many people on the planet. To me that points to a mindset that thinks that their race is a superior race and their thoughts are superior and other races should be exterminated. It is analogous to what the NAZI's think. Ping me if you think I am wrong about this.

        • I've never heard any say there are too many people on the planet. I do often hear them say there are too many of certain types of people, too close to them.

          There does seem to be a sincere (sincerely dumb!) desire among some of them to pump out as many babies as possible. "Pro-life" is still a misnomer though, obviously. It's just pro-birth. They don't really think about the consequences that follow the birth.

          • One aspect of the "pro-life" movement that should be considered, I think, as a male, is control over women. If a woman can simply have an abortion, or have birth control, then men have less control over women. I see it in myself, how I want control over any other person at random, and I try to snuff it out. I feel it is a character flaw in myself. The only person I have control over is myself. I think an indicator of a control freak is if they are "pro-life", in that they really can't control themselve

            • If a woman can simply have an abortion, or have birth control, then men have less control over women.

              What if the baby, er fetus, is determined to be of biological sex female. Probably would be best to abort those things until a male who can support the family blood lines is available. Nothing wrong with that, pro choice.

              • My understanding is that the Chinese, for a long time, aborted female babies. My gut says that is repugnant, not to mention that as a guy, I want more women around me than men. I have yet to think out a coherent, consistent belief about this, I just think that it is terrible.

            • They also like to control the child. That is part of the attractiveness of the arrangement, and their obsession with it. These are people who take a special joy in manipulating others.

          • I do often hear them say there are too many of certain types of people, too close to them.

            Then wouldn't they favor abortion? I mean if they really don't care about life to increase their population, they would be advocating for subsidized and encouraged abortion. And wouldn't that be okay? It's not a life so why not prevent lives of poverty. Win, win.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

          "pro-life" just refers to people who believe every baby conceived should be carried to term. Once they're born, most pro-lifers do not care about that person anymore. That's the only justification I can see in forcing women to carry babies to term, but opposing things like gun control, vaccine mandates, and other things that might help prolong the life of said people they brought into the world.

          Want to have fun? Ask them when they stop caring - the will proudly say life is precious, etc, but ask them when t

        • It is analogous to what the NAZI's think. Ping me if you think I am wrong about this.

          And I call Godwin! [wikipedia.org] All that happened over 80 years ago and it's still not long enough that it's acceptable to use that as a generalized insult. Next time, try showing a little imagination and come up with something a bit more original and appropriate.
          • When you put it that way... well. you are right. I am wrong. Thank you for setting me straight.
            • "Godwin's law can be applied mistakenly or abused as a distraction, a diversion, or even censorship, when miscasting an opponent's argument as hyperbole even when the comparison made by the argument is appropriate"

              You made a legitimate comparison so it stands, some people don't like comparisons so call "Godwins" to censor.

              "In 2023, Godwin published an opinion in The Washington Post stating "Yes, it's okay to compare Trump to Hitler. Don't let me stop you." In the article, Godwin says "But when people dra

      • Texas Republicans have really ramped up the attack on local governance in the past few years. They've transferred school districts from local to state ownership. They passed a law restricting cities from ever decreasing their police budgets (only increases are allowed now, by law). They withheld hurricane recovery funds from cities for years, pursuant to a political vendetta.

        Oftentimes these laws are written so that they only restrict specific cities, but there are enough attacks on local governments gener

  • the plutocracy (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by sdinfoserv ( 1793266 )
    As the US devolves into autocratic plutocracy, the will and needs of the citizenry will be more and or neutered. They want our data, our privacy and above all, our money. We will soon be little more that serfs. And serfs don't need to be taken care of, they're replaceable. Don't forget the evangelicals, they believe the notion man can change what god created to use as we see fit is pure arrogance. They are the useful idiots of the American downfall.
    • In simple terms, Trump and MAGAs are making My Country, America, a third world, shithole country, where there is no middle class anymore. Words and meaning of words don't matter to Trump and MAGAs anymore. It is all "swirling" into serfdom to serve the Rich class, like in Russia.
      • Make not mistake, they have their sights set on the globe, not just the US.
        • As an American Citizen, I am looking forward to homesteading Greenland, like they did in Nebraska. I will get a plot of land as long as I live on it. Thank you Great leader Trump! *giggles*

  • Texas and Florida prohibit local governments from mandating rest and water breaks.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      All you have to do is see the ethnicity of the people doing most of the work and you'll understand why they have such a callous demeanor towards requiring breaks.

  • > Texas and Florida prohibit local governments from mandating rest and water breaks.

    bugs bunny should update the animation ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com] )

    • I think a lot of MAGAs use bugs bunny logic on most things. Trump repeats that he is like Lincoln. I distrust people that say things like: "Everybody", "Nobody", "Never in the History". I do not agree at all, he is the opposite. Please don't give up on Austin, TX, where I live. We are a very Liberal City, and I am very aware that our cripple of a Governor wants to "crack down on us". We are standing strong for the American Values that our Founding Fathers and the Constitution of the United States
      • But ya... I wouldn't mind if Florida were cut off of the USA. They will sink into the ocean soon, I hope. They in a way asked for it by their willful ignorance.

    • > Texas and Florida prohibit local governments from mandating rest and water breaks.

      bugs bunny should update the animation ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com] )

      Trump will cancel this cartoon because it says "Gulf of Mexico."

  • At no point during my working hours in Brazil or Saudi did the temperature drop below 30C, it was usually 37 to 47C outdoors with temps sitting around 50C indoors.
    • I've worked outside in 37C heat (plus heat from direct sunlight). A few thousand kilometres south, that government declared a down-tools policy when the outside temperature was 35C.

      In tropical climes, buildings, work-flow and sometimes, clothes, are already calibrated for the dangers of dehydration, exhaustion and sunburn. Colder climates aren't, resulting in sick people. The government is trying to prevent that by forcing relevant safety rules upon entities who have an interest in ignoring them.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      The "wet bulb" [wikipedia.org] part is very important, because it means that humidity is the issue. Humans need to sweat to stay alive in hot climates, but if the surrounding air is already at 100% relative humidity then sweat can't evaporate. If you can't sweat then you can't maintain body temperature and there's a very real risk of heatstroke and/or death. Dehydration too, come to think of it.

  • Um (Score:2)

    by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

    Doesn't America hate Americans?

    • We do not. America is based on an idea that All people are created equal. Other nations swear oaths to a person, we swear an oath to an idea that all people are created equal. We are about the rule of Law, and not of a Person. MAGAs are twisted in their ideas of this, and are a cult. We Americans deal with this over time. Bad things happen sometimes. The Constitution always emerges over time, and prevails. Similar to how every human does bad things once and awhile, but that person is not bad.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cusco ( 717999 )

      I'm honestly surprised not to see any Libertardians here claiming that if all the workplace safety rules were just done away with workers would be living in an employment Nirvana.

  • but are gig workers not workers so the rules don't cover them?

  • Extreme cold kills 7x-20x the people that extreme heat does every year.

    Why are we fixated on heat deaths only? Why not work to mitigate all extreme temperature deaths?

  • Is this really something new, or people just noticed? I saw Greece mentioned in the summary. I spent a couple of years living in Greece about 3 decades ago, and when I was there, they always had mandatory work stoppage for all outdoor/uncooled work sites mid-day on hot days. Heck, they had noise regulations akin to night time restrictions preventing making loud noises (like construction) during those mid-day siesta times.

  • Just had my roof replaced over 2 days in 100 degree heat. Was there anything to protect the workers? Nope, but they did have water and gatorade. Oh, did I mention that all of them were Mexican? I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

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