CWA Urges OSHA to Strengthen Heat Safety Standards to Protect All Workers
Union leaders testify at a federal hearing, pressing for comprehensive protections against heat-related injuries and deaths in both outdoor and indoor workplaces.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jul 18, 2025
A panel of staff and members from the Communications Workers of America (CWA) testified this week at a public hearing hosted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), urging the agency to implement a robust federal standard to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
The hearing, part of OSHA’s ongoing process for its proposed rule on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, drew attention to the increasing dangers of extreme heat on the job. CWA voiced strong support for an enforceable federal standard and called for enhancements to the current proposal.
Leading the union’s testimony was Micki Siegel de Hernandez, CWA’s Deputy Director for Occupational Safety and Health. She was joined by IUE-CWA Staff Representative Danny Sallie II, CWA Local 6222 Steward and Safety Chair Randy Rodriguez, and CWA Local 7019 Steward Ted Maple.
“Heat protections are a life-saving necessity enabling workers to do their jobs safely,” said Siegel de Hernandez. She urged OSHA to bolster the rule’s provisions for worker and authorized representative involvement, address acclimatization during sudden heat waves, protect non-traditional emergency responders operating in high-heat conditions, ensure coverage for mobile and transient worksites, and include sedentary indoor workers in the final regulation.
Sallie offered examples of heat stress in manufacturing settings and outlined proactive, feasible solutions. Rodriguez highlighted heat hazards in the telecommunications industry, stressing how proper training can be the difference between life and death. Maple described the dangerous working conditions faced by airline cabin appearance agents in San Antonio, who perform security checks and clean aircraft in sweltering cabins without ventilation or air conditioning.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.