The heat index in Charlotte soared to 109 degrees during this week’s heat wave. Pre-existing health conditions, dehydration and exertion can make heat stress worse— but for many workers, taking it easy during a heat wave isn’t an option.
Neither the U.S. nor either of the Carolinas has an official heat standard or mandates for worker protection in the heat. This makes ensuring heat relief for workers more difficult for federal inspectors, according to Natural Resources Defense Council’s Juanita Constible.
“It requires a much stricter level of evidence than a more specific heat standard would,” Constible said.
In the short term, high heat and exertion without regular breaks and proper hydration can lead to cramps, difficulty thinking or moving and — in severe cases — death. Atrium family doctor Richard Van Meter said cramps are a sign that your body is struggling in the heat, even if you’re still sweating and your fever remains normal.
“If you’re a landscaper and you start to feel that, you need to get out of the sun, get something to drink [and] take a break,” Van Meter said.
He said most of the patients he sees in Gaston County suffering from heat-related illness come from work. Around 100 people visit the emergency department every year in the county due to high temperatures, about double what the other surrounding, rural counties experience. Heat contributed to the death of three people in Gaston County since 2016, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Heart disease, high blood pressure and other chronic illnesses can add to heat stress, but if dehydration and heat-related illness occur frequently for workers, this can cause chronic conditions, such as kidney disease. Farm workers can ultimately lose their jobs if they go on dialysis, according to ECU’s Elizabeth Mizelle. She studies the effects of chronic dehydration on farm workers.
“I’ve never met an outdoor worker that is on dialysis,” Mizelle said. “They pretty much have to choose a different career at that point.”
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is holding public hearings on a proposed federal heat standard for indoor and outdoor workers.
Employers and trade groups say that existing regulations already indirectly cover heat, and the proposed rule is too rigid and sweeping. Workers and unions testified to the challenges employees face accessing water, proper ventilation and taking regular breaks.
The proposed rule could still take years to pass. In the meantime, other states have already passed heat standards to protect workers.
