Congresswoman Torres Urges Indoor Heat Standard to Protect Warehouse Workers During Summer Months & Extreme Heat
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) – sent a letter to Acting Secretary Su of the U.S. Department of Labor and Secretary Knox of the California Labor and Workforce Development requesting information on how the departments intend to ensure warehouse workers remain safe and are provided with critical training, information, and equipment needed during the upcoming summer months and times of extreme heat. Congresswoman Torres's district is a critical logistics hub for our regional and national supply chain network providing over 203,000 transportation and warehousing jobs across the Inland Empire for many families. Any disruption to these logistics operations inevitably causes national supply chain delays.
“By law, employers must maintain basic working conditions including access to water and reasonable accommodations to avoid occurrences of heat-related illness. I urge the Department of Labor and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) to take immediate steps to conduct thorough and frequent inspections of warehouses in the Inland Empire to ensure safe indoor working conditions for workers,” said Congresswoman Norma Torres. “To ensure these critically important workplace necessities are provided and workers’ rights are protected, the Department of Labor must conduct frequent, thorough inspections. An indoor heat standard is essential to protect workers who in turn keep our supply chains intact. Record heat waves underscore the imperative that as a matter of health and safety, an indoor heat standard be urgently formalized this year and every measure be taken regularly to inspect vulnerable work sites throughout the summer.”
Full letter here.
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