#scott dance

The Biden administration took steps to shield workers from extreme temperatures. The Trump administration is taking a gentler approach with employers.

The New York Times | By Scott Dance | Aug. 1, 2026 | Gift 🎁 Link (no paywall)

Republicans in Washington are taking steps to roll back federal workplace heat protections as summer temperatures surge.

The Trump administration is moving to rewrite Biden-era rules that would mandate breaks and access to water and shade for workers, in a step businesses lauded but that labor groups said could weaken already limited federal protections. Congress is considering legislation that would go a step further, prohibiting the Labor Department from adopting the Biden-era heat plan or similar rules.

A​t the same time, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is curtailing workplace inspections that President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s appointees had increased to raise awareness of heat-related illnesses. [....] The proposed revisions would also reverse momentum toward codifying extreme heat as a workplace hazard. Stretches of record heat have persisted across the country this summer, punctuating decades of steadily climbing summer temperature highs and more frequent spells of dangerously hot conditions. Another “heat dome” is bringing extreme temperatures to the South and Midwest this week. [....] Heat is linked to hundreds of workplace deaths each year, but labor groups say the true toll is unknown because heat-related illnesses are not properly tracked or reported. In 2024, the death toll was at least 530, according to data compiled by the A.F.L.-C.I.O.

Trump Doesn't Care About Worker Health & Safety

For Trump, it is all about helping corporations make more money for shareholders.

Worker safety is Trump's last concern.