When it's 90 degrees Fahrenheit on a hot summer day, Esther Minton, a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 28 in New York City, chooses to wear a long-sleeved shirt to work. Minton said that working outdoors means learning how to stay properly hydrated, dealing with port-a-potties that can become hotter than the outside air, and handling materials like copper that absorb and radiate heat from the sun. “By the time you get to lunch break at 12 p.m., when the sun is at its peak, you’re completely drained,” she said. “Your body is fighting to stay cool and to avoid dehydration.” This summer has been the hottest on record in the United States, and workers across the country are facing a growing heat crisis that is expected to lead to more heat-related illnesses and deaths. At the same time, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers in Congress have been rolling back federal rules designed to protect workers from heat injuries and illnesses. In January 2025, the White House indefinitely paused Biden-era heat safety regulations that would have required employers to provide water, shade, rest breaks, training, and prevention plans for workers exposed to extreme heat. House Republicans have also introduced legislation that would prevent the Department of Labor from enacting any workplace protections related to heat exposure. In states like Florida and Texas, Republican lawmakers have passed laws that prohibit local governments from creating their own heat protection measures. Business groups and lobbyists, particularly from the agricultural and construction industries, have opposed heat protection standards, arguing that employers already follow what would be required and that new rules would place an unnecessary burden on businesses. Workers, however, disagree. At a recent Climate Week roundtable in New York City, Donald Nesbit, executive vice president of Local 372 and a former school cafeteria worker, described the extreme conditions he faced preparing meals for students in a basement kitchen. “We measured temperatures between 130 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in those kitchens during the summer,” Nesbit said. “If we locked our pets in a car under those conditions, we would be arrested. Yet, workers are expected to work in those conditions. There have to be protections. We need to push as a society to make those protections better.” Currently, only seven states have enforceable heat prevention standards for workers. A December 2025 study in the journal Health Affairs found that California’s outdoor heat protections have reduced heat-related workplace deaths by at least 33% since 2010. Julie Su, deputy mayor of New York City for economic justice and former labor secretary under President Biden, emphasized the need for a federal heat standard. In June, Su and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued heat protections for city workers, citing the White House’s decision not to move forward with federal standards. “We had a proposed rule, but the administration isn’t moving on it,” Su said. “New York doesn’t have a state-level standard, so we are doing everything we can with the powers we have.” According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), over 550 U.S. workers die and nearly 28,000 are injured annually from heat exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that heat caused more than 2,300 deaths in the U.S. in 2023 and 2024 combined, the highest numbers in 45 years of records. A spokesperson for the Department of Labor said OSHA is currently reviewing public comments on proposed heat safety rules and continues to provide guidance to employers on how to keep workers safe in the heat.