WASHINGTON –Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement in response to Biden’s proposed heat rule to regulate both indoor and outdoor workplaces:
“The Biden administration is at it again, pushing another one-size-fits-all regulation that will have unintended consequences for workers and job creators. Regulating the hazard of heat at the federal level makes no sense as climates vary dramatically throughout the United States. Further, this proposed rule will burden job creators with prescriptive requirements, paperwork, and higher costs, which will do little to improve safety.
“Mr. President, more mandates from Washington do not equal better policies to help workers. And rushed, partisan policies rarely yield efficient, effective, or permanent solutions. This is more about kowtowing to Big Labor and climate activists than it is about worker safety.”
Background:
Employers are already required to take definitive steps to protect employees and provide a safe work environment, and that includes preventing workers from being exposed to excessive heat.
In 2012, the Obama administration denied a petition to establish a heat standard. In fact, at the time, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s head said its increased focus on enforcement and robust educational and outreach campaigns adequately addressed the hazard.
