Global gross domestic product losses from heat are projected to be greater than 20 percent by the end of this century. The drop in productivity decreases income for employers and workers. (11) The costs of lower labor productivity under rising temperatures is estimated to reach up to $160,000,000,000 in lost wages per year in the United States by 2090 according to the 2018 National Climate Assessment. Heat-related injuries and illnesses increase workers’ compensation costs and medical expenses. (10) People working in excessive heat suffer diminished mental acuity and physical ability, which increases the risk of accidents. Indoor heat stress is prevalent in enclosed workplaces without climate control or adequate ventilation, such as warehouses and factories, and workplaces with heat-generating machinery such as steel mills, electrical utilities, bakeries, commercial kitchens, and laundries. (9) While heat stress is often associated with outdoor jobs, some indoor workers are also at risk from dangerously high temperatures.
On his way home, he started foaming at the mouth and died. Instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told his son to drive Mr. (8) Asuncion Valdivia was a California farmworker who died of heat stroke in 2004 after picking grapes for 10 straight hours in 105 degree temperatures. (7) Farmworkers and construction workers suffer the highest incidence of heat illness, but all outdoor and indoor workers employed in excessively hot and humid environments are at significant risk of material impairment of health or functional capacity. (6) Jobs at highest risk of heat stress illness and death are disproportionately held by Black and Brown workers, a disparity that reflects the racial injustice inherent in our economic system. Accordingly, workplaces must continue to guard against COVID–19 and other communicable illnesses well into the future, especially in high-density workplaces that expose employees to stressors that include unhealthy levels of heat. Moreover, only long-term study will reveal if vaccines sufficiently protect communities from all strains of this coronavirus. (5) The current scientific evidence, rate of vaccine production and distribution, racial and socioeconomic inequities in vaccine access, mistrust of science messengers, and levels of international and national preparedness, indicate it will take months to years to achieve herd immunity from COVID–19. Moreover, the symptoms of heat stress and respiratory illnesses may overlap in ways that exacerbate the diagnosis and pathophysiology related to these potentially fatal conditions.
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Respiratory infections, such as COVID–19, and the use of protective equipment, like face and skin coverings, can increase susceptibility to heat exhaustion and heat stroke. (4) Heat stress and COVID–19 are individually dangerous to workers and can interact, making some work environments especially hazardous. Impacts range from comparatively minor problems such as heat cramps to severe afflictions such as organ damage, heat exhaustion, stroke, and death. (3) Heat-related illnesses can arise when high temperatures rise above the capacity of the body to dispel heat. (2) On average, 3 times as many people die from extreme heat in the United States each year than from hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
Rising temperatures are projected to cause an increase in heat-related workplace injuries and illnesses, a dramatic loss in labor capacity, and decreased productivity. Climate change increases this danger, as 19 of the 20 hottest years on record have occurred since 2001. (1) Excessive heat exposure poses a direct threat to workers and the economy.
(b) Findings.-Congress finds the following: (a) Short title.-This Act may be cited as the “Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act of 2021”.