阿什利·西弗特·努涅斯
WASHINGTON—The Florida legislature passed a bill today that will leave outdoor workers in the state at increasing risk of heat-related illness and death. 根据账单, 城市, 县, and other municipalities will be prohibited from implementing common sense safeguards—such as water breaks and access to shade—to protect workers during times of extreme heat. State and local protections are crucial as the federal government does not have a uniform heat-protection standard to cover outdoor workers in the United States.
以下是……的声明 Dr. 克里斯蒂娜达尔, a principal climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Dr. 达尔是《 同行评议的分析 “热得不能517888九五至尊娱乐”，以及 也被命名为 在2023年《时代》100个未来人物名单中, which highlights the emerging leaders shaping the future of science, 激进主义, 政治, 商业及其他.
“The bill passed by the Florida legislature today is cruel and inhumane to the more than 2 million people whose work in the state requires them to be outdoors. 户外517888九五至尊娱乐往往比其他517888九五至尊娱乐更危险, and outdoor workers have up to a 35 times greater risk of dying from heat exposure than the general population. The worst part is these deaths are largely preventable if employers are required to meet workers’ basic needs for water, 阴凉和休息.
“过去10年是有记录以来最热的10年, 这一令人担忧的趋势可能会持续到2024年. 去年, 佛罗里达州经历了有记录以来第三热的一年, with places like Miami enduring 46 consecutive days when temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 人类继续使地球变暖, 这种热度将变得更加频繁, leaving more workers at risk of experiencing heat-related illnesses or death unless protections are written into regulations and laws.
“几十年来，工人们一直呼吁美国政府采取行动.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to develop and enforce a workplace heat-protection standard. 在没有联邦标准的情况下, 比如加州, 俄勒冈州和华盛顿州已经制定了自己的保障措施. And in the absence of state-level standards it falls to 城市 and 县 to protect workers from extreme heat. 这些地方的努力遭到了美国政府的阻挠.S. and state governments have failed to ensure safe conditions for workers will only further expose people to dangerous and deadly heat.
“面对617888九五至尊娱乐变暖, today’s events underscore the desperate need for a strong, 可执行的联邦热保护标准. 与此同时, we call on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to veto this abhorrent abomination of a bill.”
If you have any questions or would like to arrange an interview with Dr. Dahl or another UCS expert, please contact UCS 617888九五至尊娱乐与能源媒体经理 阿什利·西弗特·努涅斯.
同行评审 UCS分析 titled “Killer Heat” found that by midcentury the number of days per year when the “feels like” temperature in Florida exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit would increase from 25 days historically to 105 days by midcentury. According to the UCS分析 “Too Hot to Work,” extreme heat is expected to place $8.4 billion in Florida workers’ earnings at risk annually by midcentury. More information about how extreme heat will impact the state’s outdoor workers is 可以在这里. 交互式地图是 也可用.