WASHINGTON DC (KOLO) – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto is joining an effort to add heat protections for those working outdoors.
She, Alex Padilla (D-California), and Representative Judy Chu (D-California) introduced the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act.
The bill would require OSHA to establish enforceable federal standards to protect workers in high heat environments. It would mandate paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and add emergency protocols for workers with heat-related illnesses.
The bill also directs employers to provide training for employees on risk factors that lead to heat related illnesses and guidance on how to respond to symptoms.
“From farmhands to construction workers, America’s essential workforce is doing important work while under extreme heat conditions,”said Senator Cortez Masto.“Temperatures continue to reach record highs in Nevada and across the United States. We must act now to protect our communities’ vital workers.”
Cortez Masto says her bill comes as 29 heat-related deaths have already occurred in southern Nevada this year.
The bill is named in honor of Asuncion Valdivia, who died in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 hours straight in the 105-degree heat. Valdivia fell unconscious, but instead of calling an ambulance, Cortez Masto says his employer told his son to drive him home. Valdivia died of heat stroke on the way home at the age of 53.
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