UFW - United Farm Workers of America

08/30/2024 | Press release | Archived content

08/30/2024 Public Comment period now open for first nationwide heat safety rule

Washington D.C. - The first ever federal heat safety standard is now one step closer to full implementation with the opening of the rule's public comment period following the publication of the proposed rule on the federal register. The creation of a federal heat safety standard has been a decades-long priority for the United Farm Workers, which has advocated for heat safety standards at the federal and state levels since the 1970s. TheBiden-Harris administration is the first to ever begin the federal rulemaking process for an enforceable nationwide heat safety standard.

"Countless farm worker lives were lost over decades before the urgency of a federal heat safety standard was recognized," said UFW President Teresa Romero. "Now, the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration has brought such a federal rule to the finish line. We humbly request the input of all Americans in favor of a heat safety standard during the public comment period. Clean water, adequate shade, and paid rest breaks are not luxuries - they are the bare minimum farm workers need to survive while harvesting our nation's food during life-threatening temperatures."

To leave a comment in favor of the proposed federal heat safety standard please visit: http://ufw.org/federalheatregcomments

###