Houston heat wave pushes outdoor workers to the limit

Construction crews, landscapers, delivery workers, maintenance staff and utility crews kept working outside as Houston’s latest heat wave pushed temperatures toward 100 degrees. The danger was not just discomfort: prolonged heat brings dehydration, dizziness, exhaustion and, if cooling and water are delayed, heat stroke. Texas still does not have a statewide requirement that outdoor workers get rest breaks with shade and water.

In 2023, the city recorded 45 days at or above 100 degrees. Harris County Public Health projects hotter nights, longer summers and higher energy demands for the Greater Houston Area, and the Houston Health Department says extreme heat can hit from May through September and can affect the heart, maternal health, mental health and kidneys.

Harris County Public Health data show heat-related illness in the county increased by 329% between 2019 and 2023. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 344 deaths and 24,660 serious injuries nationwide from 2011 to 2019 tied to on-the-job environmental heat. In 2019 alone, Texas recorded 43 worker deaths from environmental heat exposure and 2,490 severe heat-related illnesses, and in 2018 five Texans died of work-related heat illnesses while another 270 employees suffered job-related heat ailments that required time away from work.

Heat is a hazard in both outdoor and indoor workplaces, and in July 2024 the Biden-Harris administration announced a proposed OSHA rule aimed at protecting workers from extreme heat. But in Texas, the gap remains on the ground for crews who spend entire shifts in the sun, often with little control over pace, shade or schedule.

Houston has local warnings, but not the kind of binding workplace rule advocates want. The Houston Health Department issues Houston Heat-Health Alerts when heat raises the risk of hospital visits.