Congress: Protect Workers From Extreme Heat, pass Asunción Valdivia Act Now

Today I’m writing to urge you to support the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act just re-introduced. It’s a critically important piece of legislation that will protect workers across the country from the increasing risks posed by extreme heat conditions. Valdivia’s tragedy was over 20 years ago, but he’s symbolic of so many deaths since then and this bill is still going to have an uphill battle for passage, but we have to keep trying. The increasingly unstable climate isn’t like a normal political issue: It’s a clock that keeps ticking, and the heat keeps rising. We have the means to protect workers and stop the clock, and this bill is a part of that first duty. With climate change intensifying and heat waves becoming more frequent and severe, it is imperative that we establish enforceable federal standards to safeguard the health and safety of millions of indoor and outdoor workers who are exposed to excessive heat on the job. As you may know, this legislation mandates commonsense measures like providing access to water, shade, paid breaks in cool spaces, limitations on exposure time, and emergency response procedures for heat-related illnesses. These basic protections are the bare minimum we can offer to ensure that no worker has to endure the tragic fate of Asunción Valdivia, who lost his life in 2004 after working for 10 hours straight in 105-degree temperatures. We must do this. It’s common decency. The economic costs of inaction are staggering, with heat stress costing U.S. employers nearly $100 billion annually in lost productivity and medical expenses. More importantly, the human toll is unacceptable, with hundreds of preventable deaths and tens of thousands of injuries and illnesses occurring each year due to occupational heat exposure. As the climate crisis intensifies, we have a moral obligation to prioritize the well-being of our workforce. Pass the bill, vote YES. This legislation represents a common-sense, HUMAN approach that employers should and MUST readily adopt, and it deserves your full support. Thank you for your attention to this matter.