NYC Mayor issues heat protection executive order

New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani yesterday signed an executive order to protect workers from heat-related injuries, illnesses, deaths, and dangerous working conditions.

The order directs the departments of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), Emergency Management (NYCEM) and Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to develop and distribute heat safety guidance for outdoor workers as soon as practicable this year.

Heat illness prevention guidance and educational materials will need to be multilingual and recommend best practices to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths for both employers and workers.

The order also reinforces existing protections for outdoor workers, including access to bathrooms and workplace reporting requirements.

Indoor, construction requirements to be reviewed for 2027

Guidance for indoor workers will be issued by March 1, 2027. The Department of Buildings (DOB) was directed to review and strengthen construction site heat safety requirements, with recommendations also due by March 1, 2027.

DOHMH was directed to study the relationship between extreme heat and workers' compensation claims and evaluate whether heat illness should be designated a reportable health condition.

The order also requires every mayoral agency to develop and implement heat illness prevention plans for City employees and contractors.

Plan aligns with proposed OSHA heat safety rule

One impetus within the executive order is OSHA’s proposed heat protection rule.

In its press release, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) called on OSHA to finalize its heat standard for indoor and outdoor workers, saying NYC is demonstrating action cannot wait at a time when workers across the country are still waiting for a comprehensive federal heat protection standard.

"This executive order sends a clear message: workers cannot wait," said Jessica Martínez, National COSH Executive Director.

National COSH urged employers nationwide to implement heat protections now, including water, shade, rest, training, and emergency response procedures.

National COSH said the order reflects years of organizing by NYCOSH, the TEMP Coalition, worker leaders, labor unions, and community advocates, and the growing momentum of the “Fired Up! Workers for Heat Justice” campaign, a national movement led by workers and local COSH groups demanding lifesaving protections from extreme heat.

OSHA extended its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards through 2031.

Order addresses direct & indirect health risks

The executive order covers a wide range of workers, including construction workers, truck drivers, warehouse workers, public works employees, street vendors, app-based delivery workers, day laborers, gig workers, and other independent contractors.

“In the past, workers have borne the burden of extreme heat while government looked the other way. We’re changing that because every worker’s life is worth protecting. As summer heats up, we’re taking a whole-of-government approach to keeping New Yorkers prepared, safe and cool.”

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani, New York City Mayor

The order lists extreme heat as a cause of heat-related illness and death for hundreds of thousands of workers, but also emphasizes working in extreme heat greatly increases the risk of all types of injuries.

It said many outdoor workers without paid breaks or easy access to restrooms intentionally limit their water intake, placing themselves at greater risk of dehydration, liver failure, kidney disease, and urinary tract infections.

“Extreme heat kills - and it hits especially hard for the neighbors working long hours outdoors, without shade, without air conditioning, without breaks.”

— Julia Kerson, Deputy Mayor for Operations

Increased temperatures can also decrease productivity, which compounds public health costs that accrue disproportionately for working-class New Yorkers.

“Black New Yorkers are dying of heat stroke at twice the rate of white New Yorkers, and Latino workers are disproportionately exposed on job sites and in warehouses across this city. That is not a weather problem - that is a justice problem.

— Helen Arteaga, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services

As many as 1.4 million workers are estimated to work outdoors for prolonged periods of time in NYC.

Airport worker shares stories of dangerous conditions

John Mosquera, a Ramp Agent for Alliance Ground International (AGI) at LaGuardia Airport, shared firsthand the risks of heat exposure during a press conference June 23.

Last summer, Mosquera was loading bags inside a plane’s cargo hold on a 100-degree day.

“It’s like you're working in an oven. ... Working inside the cargo hold felt at least 10 degrees hotter - closer to 110 degrees.

“Suddenly, as I'm loading the bags, I start seeing spots - like when you press on your eyelid too hard and you see stars. I lost consciousness and just laid in the belly of the plane from how hot it was. When I was woken up a few minutes later, I was struggling to catch my breath, was disoriented, and felt scared, and my supervisor came in and asked if I was okay. When I told him I was okay, I had a short break and some water and was sent right back to work. I finished my 10-hour shift that day.

“That should never happen. Nobody should collapse from heat on a job and then be expected to just keep going.”

Mosquera added that in 2024, a co-worker asked management for water, but was instead suspended for two days.

“That is not what safety looks like. That is not what respects look like. Nobody should be punished for trying to keep themselves together and their co-workers safe.

“What scares me the most is that I'm one of the youngest ramp agents out there. Most of my co-workers are older than me. If I could pass out in the belly of a plane, what could happen to them?”

The Executive Order was developed in partnership with the TEMP Coalition, the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, and dozens of labor unions and community organizations that have spent years advocating for stronger heat protections for workers.

“AGI's workers have spoken out about passing out in cargo holds, facing retaliation for asking for water, and being pressured to work quickly even when it's hot. This is unacceptable.”

— Manny Pastreich, Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ President.