New Arizona law allows early-morning construction work to prevent heat illness

Arizona construction workers will be able to start their shifts a little earlier this summer to prevent heat-related illness.

Municipalities typically have noise ordinances or other regulations that dictate how early construction work can start in the morning. Sen. Analise Ortiz’s Senate Bill 1182 requires municipalities to allow construction work to begin as early as 5 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on Saturdays from May 1 through Oct. 15.

“It is a benefit for the construction workers to make sure that their health and safety is being taken into account, while also expediting the development of new housing, which is another piece of this bigger puzzle of the affordable housing crisis,” Ortiz said.

During a February hearing on the bill, Spencer Kamps with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona said construction workers face risks during Arizona’s brutal summers, but said those risks are preventable.

“You can do a lot of mitigation measures — water, rest, and shade — but quite honestly the best mitigation measure to prevent heat stroke or heat injury is the schedule,” Kamps said.

Kamps said about half of Valley cities already allow 5 a.m. start times during hot months, so the new law will also create more consistency for the construction industry.

Democratic lawmakers this session introduced several bills aimed at workplace heat safety, but most were not given hearings. SB 1182 passed with broad bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

The new law went into effect immediately when Gov. Katie Hobbs signed it Tuesday.