Beat the heat

Thank you for printing the op-ed by David Arkush and David Michaels, former administrator of OSHA, regarding the petition asking OSHA to develop heat stress protections for American workers (“Climate change hurting our workers,” July 20, 2018). A federal OSHA policy could ensure heat stress protection for all worker and simplify regulatory burden on interstate employers. Spokane’s local, grassroots climate action group, 350 Spokane, is one of the 130 organizations calling for OSHA to establish heat stress protection rules.

Heat stress is dangerous not only for workers, but also for the elderly, the young and many other vulnerable populations. As global average temperatures continue to rapidly rise, we must adapt to the current conditions on our warming planet, while we simultaneously transition our economy and our lifestyles away from dependence on the fossil fuels which emit greenhouse gases. Climate change has been likened to “weather on steroids.” High-heat days are hotter, storms are more severe, droughts and floods are more common.

Individuals, communities and all levels of government have a role to play, not only in protecting human health and safety as we face new weather patterns, but in fostering an economic system built on clean, renewable energy with equity for all workers and families.

Rebecca MacMullan

Spokane