The city of Tempe is the latest Arizona municipality to adopt heat safety requirements for some outdoor workers.
The Tempe City Council unanimously approved the ordinance last week. It requires city departments and contractors working for the city to provide water, shade and regular breaks for outdoor workers. They must also create written heat safety plans and provide workers with annual heat safety training.
Christian Bearden with the union group Ironworkers Local 75 spoke in support of the plan ahead of the City Council vote, saying a lack of water on construction sites is common.
“Guaranteeing workers access to water, shade and a place to rest may seem like a simple fix, but please know that this ordinance is going to improve the quality of life for many of our Tempe brothers and sisters that are working out in the heat,” Bearden said.
Tempe’s new rules for water, breaks and shade will take effect next month. Additional requirements for employee training, signage on jobsites to outline heat safety protections, acclimatization measures for new employees, and written heat safety plans will take effect on Sept. 1.
Tempe’s new ordinance comes after Phoenix, Tucson and Pima County adopted similar heat safety requirements last year.
Gov. Katie Hobbs also recently signed a law aimed at protecting Arizona construction workers from heat by requiring municipalities to allow construction work to begin earlier in the morning May through mid-October. Democratic lawmakers proposed a handful of other bills related to workplace heat safety this session, but most did not receive hearings.
Hobbs last month established a task force to come up with recommendations for heat safety in workplaces statewide.
