This bill matters because extreme heat is a growing public health and safety concern in the United States, exacerbated by climate change. Each year, thousands of workers suffer heat-related illnesses, and some even die, yet there's no national rule specifically requiring employers to protect them from heat.

If this bill becomes law, it would establish a consistent, enforceable set of standards across the country, ensuring that all workers, regardless of where they live or what industry they're in, have basic protections against dangerous heat. Without this law, worker safety in hot conditions largely depends on state laws (only a few states have specific heat standards) or individual company policies, leading to uneven protection and continued preventable illnesses and deaths.