National COSH Launches Workplace Heat Action Week

The Fired Up! National Week of Heat Action includes events in nine states calling for stronger protections against workplace heat hazards.

• By Stasia DeMarco
• Aug 11, 2026

As extreme heat continues to endanger millions of workers across the United States, workers, unions, worker centers, health and safety advocates, and community organizations are launching a coordinated Fired Up! National Week of Heat Action from August 10-16to demand stronger protections from dangerous workplace heat and educate workers about their rights.

The week of action, led by the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH), comes as workers across the country continue to face dangerous temperatures on the job while the United States still lacks a comprehensive federal workplace heat standard. Actions in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas, along with virtual events nationwide, will bring together worker leaders and advocates calling for stronger protections that prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries and deaths.  The week of action connects local organizing in the Northeast, Midwest, South, and Southwest into a unified national demand: Every worker deserves enforceable protection from extreme heat.

“Extreme heat is no longer just a climate issue, it’s a worker safety crisis,” said Jessica E. Martinez, executive director of National COSH. “Every day, workers are forced to choose between their health and their paycheck. That choice should never exist. Workers know what keeps people safe: access to water, rest, and shade; effective training and emergency plans; protection from retaliation; and strong standards that employers are required to follow.”

Workers in construction, agriculture, landscaping, warehouses, restaurants, delivery services, airports, factories, and other indoor and outdoor workplaces face heightened risks as temperatures rise. Workers of color and immigrant workers are disproportionately represented in many of the industries with the greatest exposure to dangerous heat.

Throughout the week, participating organizations will educate workers about heat hazards and their rights, distribute safety supplies, provide health services, elevate worker experiences, and press employers and public officials to act. Activities range from an outdoor workplace heat demonstration at the Arizona State Capitol to outreach with poultry workers in Georgia, construction workers in Texas, and working women in Ohio. Other organizations will provide virtual training, assemble worker safety kits, and connect workers and families with health resources.

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