Overview
- On Dec. 2, the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition delivered a petition to Gov. Katie Hobbs seeking enforceable requirements for water, shade and breaks for outdoor workers.
- The coalition comprises 25 organizations and reports more than 1,500 signatories backing statewide heat protections.
- The Workplace Heat Safety Task Force plans to finalize recommendations by Dec. 31, with guidance moving to the governor and then to the Industrial Commission for consideration.
- ADOSH reports that 64% of 823 businesses inspected since 2023 lacked basic heat safeguards or training under its State Emphasis Program.
- Arizona has no statewide heat standard, Phoenix’s rule applies only to city-related work, and advocates cite research that California’s 2015 standard cut outdoor-work deaths by 43% as workers describe extreme conditions such as 155-degree airport tarmac readings.