FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katelyn Parady, katelyn@nationalcosh.org, (307) 389-7387

PHOENIX, AZ – Today, the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition, alongside workers, labor leaders, and community advocates, held a press conference at the Arizona State Capitol to demand enforceable workplace heat protections. The event featured the delivery of a petition signed by more than 1,500 Arizonans, urging Governor Katie Hobbs, the Industrial Commission of Arizona, and the Workplace Heat Safety Task Force to advance a statewide heat standard guaranteeing all workers access to water, shade, rest, and training.

The petition delivery comes as the state’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force finalizes its recommendations to the Industrial Commission of Arizona, a critical opportunity to implement rules that would save lives and protect workers’ health and livelihoods.

“We’re here to uplift the voices of over 1,500 Arizonans who believe that water, shade, and rest should be guaranteed rights, not just suggestions,” said Monica Sandschafer of Mi Familia en Accion, a member of the Arizona Heat Standards Coalition. “Since June, at least one Arizonan has died from preventable workplace heat exposure. Too many others have fallen ill, lost income, or faced long-term health consequences simply for doing their jobs in extreme conditions.”

Arizona experienced its fourth-hottest summer on record in 2025, continuing a dangerous trend, with all four hottest summers occurring since 2020. This prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures puts nearly half a million Arizonans working in “heat-vulnerable” jobs at risk each week.

“Every summer in Phoenix, airport workers collapse from extreme heat. I know, because I’ve lived it for nearly two decades," said Trina David, a worker and coalition leader who spoke at the event. "Every summer, paramedics are called because a worker has collapsed. The question isn’t if they will be called —it’s when. We need accountability."

Research shows that Arizona has a higher rate of workers’ compensation claims for heat-related illnesses than neighboring states including California, Nevada, and New Mexico.

California was the first state in the country to implement a workplace heat illness prevention standard in 2005, leading to fewer workplace related injuries on hot days. Implementation of a similar standard in Oregon was followed by a decrease in emergency room visits for occupational heat-related illness.

“The science is clear: heat kills, but it doesn’t have to,” said Katelyn Parady with the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, a coalition member. “We’ve seen from other Western states that formal heat standards with common-sense requirements like guaranteed rest breaks and access to shade prevent heat stress crises like worker injuries and emergency room visits.”

The burden of heat exposure is not borne equally. Latino workers are three times more likely to die from heat on the job than non-Latinos. Farmworkers are 35 times more likely to die from heat stress than the rest of the U.S. workforce. The vast majority of those at greatest risk (low-wage workers, immigrant workers, and workers of color) are also the least protected and most vulnerable to retaliation when speaking up.

The Arizona Heat Standards Coalition is calling on Governor Hobbs and state agencies to act now and move swiftly toward an enforceable heat injury and illness prevention standard that reflects the lived experiences of workers.

“Workers across the state have made it clear to me that this isn’t just a policy issue, it’s a matter of life and death,” said Jazmin Moreno-Dominguez from coalition member Agave Community Threads. “We need to make sure that the voices of working Arizonans are front and center as decisions are made in the coming weeks.”

Following the press conference, coalition members delivered the petition directly to Governor Hobbs' office, signaling widespread support for urgent action as temperatures rise year after year.