Beat The Heat
We Need YOUR help:
Are you one of the 36 million workers exposed to extreme heat on the job? Millions of workers each year are injured, fall sick, or even die from these entirely preventable dangers. As restaurant workers, we know all too well the physical, mental, and emotional toll of working in extreme heat.
And now the Department of Labor is stepping in to protect us, but they need to hear exactly how this affects us at work. Get fired up and tell the DOL all the details about what it is like to sweat it out on the saute station and not have a chance to step away from the blazing heat, pull a double on an unshaded patio with no time to take a break to drink water, feel nauseated from working in the hot dishpit for too long….Your health should not have to suffer, but your story can help protect workers in the future.
This rule would provide protections that would be considered basic in any other industry: mandatory rest breaks, access to drinking water, and yes, your boss would have to monitor the temperature (and maybe even fix the air conditioner!).
The Background: Earlier this summer, the Department of Labor proposed a rule to protect millions of workers from the dangers of extreme heat. The rule would apply to indoor and outdoor workers exposed to temperatures of 80°F or higher, and would require the boss to monitor the temperature, provide free drinking water, and mandatory rest breaks and areas in which to take the rest breaks.
Now the rule has been published in the Federal Register, which allows the general public to voice their opinions. We believe it is imperative that restaurant worker’s voices are heard on this issue; we have been championing restaurant worker’s right to a safe work environment, particularly in regards to protections from extreme heat, for years. We want the DOL to hear restaurant workers loud and clear: WE ARE FIRED UP and we need workplace protections from indoor heat! Add your comments below and help us advocate for restaurant workers nationwide.
SUBMIT A COMMENT BELOW
The Department of Labor wants to know how extreme heat impacts your health. When drafting your own comment, include personal stories and emphasize the impact on you and your coworkers. Details help! See below for a few examples.
“The line cook next to me fainted from the heat. We stepped over his body to cook during the lunch rush. When we notified the manager, he told us to get on the line and keep working. Nothing was done to help the coworker.”
“At a certain point, I feel that my body and brain start to give up. I feel confused and sluggish. I have experienced stomach cramps while working, and I have developed a heat rash on my back from standing in front of a 550-degree oven all day.”
“I had to leave the restaurant industry because of the toll it had on my health. That was in part due to the extreme heat we had to endure without breaks, sometimes working as long as 14 hours a day. It was absolutely exhausting.”
EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS US ALL
How hot is too hot? You tell us!
Last summer was the hottest on record; but you don’t have to be outside to overheat. Restaurant workers suffer through the hottest of the hot on the line, on the unshaded patio and in un-air conditioned dining rooms. We’ve worked in dangerous conditions for too long. We need a national heat standard now!
This is a unique opportunity to have a direct line to the rule makers, the policy writers and the enforcers. Submit a comment and we will send it over to OSHA to help them craft the most effective, comprehensive and inclusive indoor heat protections. Thank you for helping us advocate for restaurant workers!
Sign Up For Our Training
About the Training
Funded by OSHA’s Susan Harwood Training Grant, our Restaurant Workers Protection Training Initiative helps workers and employers recognize the signs of heat exhaustion, avoid workplace hazards due to high temperatures, understand workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities to stay safe from heat stress. If left unaddressed, heat-related illnesses can lead to hospitalization, long-term health consequences, and even fatalities.
Click on the button to learn about all of the details of the training and how you can register your restaurant today.
Pictured above: kitchen staff at one of our High Road partners, Kings Co Imperial, in New York City, participating in the heat illness training.
Have you read our Beat the Heat report?
In August of 2023 we released a national report, detailing the harms of extreme indoor heat in the restaurant industry. The report also spells out workplace & policy fixes that will make restaurant kitchens a safer & healthier place to work. Click below to read the report.