Scorching summer: Miami-Dade proposes heat protections for construction workers

With scorching heat reaching record highs in South Florida this summer, Miami-Dade County is taking measures to protect construction workers.

The county introduced a bill to create workplace heat standards for outdoor construction and agricultural workers, the Miami Herald reported. Under the new ordinance, companies will be required to provide 10-minute shade breaks every two hours when the heat index hits 90 degrees. The proposed bill also mandates training for workers and supervisors on heat safety, and imposes fines of up to $3,000 per violation per day for companies found not complying with the heat standard.

Miami-Dade County Commissioners Marleine Bastien and Kionne L. McGhee sponsored the bill. 

The bill passed a first vote 11-0, and now heads to the community health committee. The county has toyed with the idea of heat protections for outdoor workers for two years, but has never voted on a bill, according to the publication. 

This year so far is Miami-Dade’s hottest on record, according to research from the Rosenstiel School at the University of Miami that is cited in the bill. Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the U.S., and Florida has the highest rate of heat-related hospitalizations in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The bill also cites data that shows outdoor workers are 35 times more likely to die of heat exposure compared to the general population.

While Miami-Dade County has 300,000 outdoor workers, the proposed heat standard only applies to outdoor construction and agriculture workers, according to the publication. Heat kills at least 34 people in Miami-Dade County per year. With climate change causing higher temperatures for longer stretches of time, experts anticipate heat-related deaths and injuries to increase in the years to come. 

“One death in the hot sun is one too many,” McGhee said during a press conference.— Kate Hinsche