Employers would have to meet new heat safety rules and could be fined at least $1,000 a day
What it does
HB 151 would create a Workplace Heat Safety chapter in the Labor Code that applies to every employer in Texas, no matter the size or type of job. The Texas Workforce Commission would adopt heat illness prevention standards, including rules for drinking water, access to shade or climate-controlled spaces, restrooms, handwashing stations, rest periods, emergency response, acclimatization, and training, based on federal workplace heat guidance as it stood on January 1, 2027. Employers would have to post a notice at the workplace and give training in a language each employee understands. The commission could fine an employer at least $1,000 for each violation, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate violation.
What it means for your community
If you work outdoors or in a hot building in Texas, your employer would have to plan for water, shade, rest, and training before the worst heat hits. A new advisory board with two heat safety experts, two construction workers, an employer, a worker safety nonprofit, and a construction union representative would recommend the standards. The rules would not start until March 1, 2028, and it would be illegal to retaliate against a worker for reporting heat illness or filing a complaint. The bill would take effect right away only with a two-thirds vote in each house; otherwise it would start September 1, 2027.
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