Sponsors (2)
The bill provides enforceable, multilingual protections that will substantially reduce heat- and smoke-related harm for outdoor and agricultural workers and support broader public-health and climate responses, but it imposes new compliance costs, potential wage impacts for piece-rate workers, and legal/implementation burdens—especially for small or remote employers.
Farm and other outdoor workers (e.g., agricultural, construction, forestry) will receive required respirators (N95/N100 or NIOSH-certified), drinking water, cooling, and mandatory rest breaks when air quality or heat are dangerous, reducing heat illness and smoke-related respiratory harm.
Workers gain an immediately enforceable interim OSHA standard plus discrimination and whistleblower protections, allowing employees to seek enforcement and protections before a final rule is issued.
Employers must provide training and Q&A in languages workers understand, improving workers' ability to use protections and recognize signs of heat illness or smoke exposure.
Employers—especially small agricultural businesses—will face added compliance costs to purchase respirators, provide water/cooling facilities, and develop training, which may be passed to consumers or reduce business viability.
Mandatory rest breaks (e.g., 10 minutes every 2 hours) can reduce productive work time and may lower pay for piece-rate or daily-wage farmworkers or reduce harvest output.
Findings naming specific heat-wave fatalities plus enforcement as an OSHA standard increase the risk of litigation, liability claims, and administrative burdens for employers and local governments.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates an immediate OSHA standard requiring respirators, cooling/water, rest breaks, and multilingual training for farmworkers during wildfire smoke and extreme heat and directs OSHA to finalize a permanent rule.
Introduced July 31, 2025 by Jeff Merkley · Last progress July 31, 2025
Requires immediate workplace protections for farmworkers exposed to wildfire smoke and extreme heat and directs OSHA to issue a permanent occupational safety standard. From enactment until the final OSHA rule is completed, agricultural employers must provide respirators for smoke, water and cooling for heat, mandatory rest breaks, training in languages workers understand, and mandatory use of protections when conditions are extremely dangerous.