The Boiling Point.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommendations indicating how often a worker should rest and hydrate given a specific heat and humidity index, which could be the basis for new rules determining lengths and intervals of mandated paid breaks, says Juley Fulcher, Public Citizen's worker health and safety advocate. The National Cotton Council argued that heat injuries weren't due to the work itself, but rather to "present-day luxuries such as air-conditioning making it more difficult [for workers] to face the severe change in temperature" and "younger workers who are used to a more sedentary lifestyle." For an outdoor worker climbing a ladder, wielding a chain saw, or sitting behind the wheel of a 10-ton delivery vehicle, a minor episode of heat-stress-derived dizziness can turn into a major disaster. California saw a 30% decline in worker injuries after passing its heat bill, and all it takes is spending a day mowing the lawn in the hot sun to realize that heat can be a productivity killer. [Extracted from the article]