House Republicans and industry representatives on Thursday slammed a federal plan to protect workers from heat — and said the proposed regulation would be too onerous for employers to follow.
The draft rule, released last summer by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would require employers to provide workers with water and a cool place to rest when the heat index hits 80 degrees. When combined heat and humidity reached 90 degrees, the proposal would require 15-minute paid rest breaks for all employees after two hours.
But Republicans on the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections said the proposal’s “one-size-fits-all” approach to heat illness prevention ignored the diversity of workplaces the proposal would apply.
“It’s the type of thing that causes people to hate government, right?” Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) said.
