As we enter summer, heat safety is more important than ever, especially for construction workers, who make up one-third of all heat-related deaths.

From 2011 to 2020, over 33,890 U.S. workers suffered heat-related injuries or illnesses, and nearly 1,000 have died from extreme heat exposure since 1992.

And the danger keeps worsening each summer as temperatures continue to soar.

For the IBEW, safety is one of our founding values, and it remains just as important today. It is every IBEW member’s responsibility to ensure that they and their co-workers go home to their families safe and sound every day.

That means following best practices and procedures around heat safety. I would also add that we should follow government workplace law. But the sad reality is that, at least on the federal level, we have no heat-related protections.

As we report in this issue of The Electrical Worker, under Joe Biden, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration introduced a rule to create a heat protection standard, but it never went into effect before he left office.

Not only has the current administration not shown any interest in moving it along, but it has also watered down existing heat-safety regulations, which puts more workers at risk of heat-related injury and death this summer.

There is some movement at the state level, but so far only seven states have heat-protection laws on the books.

America will be going to the polls this November, and the IBEW will be doing our part to educate members on the issues and ensure our voices are heard.

Some of you ask us: “Why is the IBEW involved in politics in the first place?”

It’s simple.

The decisions made by those in power impact our jobs, our benefits and, in the case of safety laws, our lives.

When politicians in Florida and Texas pass laws preempting local municipalities from implementing heat safety regulations, it’s a direct threat to our members’ health and well-being.

As your international president, I couldn’t care less about any politician’s party affiliation or whether they’re liberal or conservative.

What I care about is how they vote on issues like mandatory water breaks or more funding for safety inspectors, because that can save lives.

Blue-collar work was far more dangerous a century ago, especially in construction and the electrical industry.

It’s safer today not just because unions give workers power to demand safe workplaces, but also because unions fought to pass legislation that created regulatory bodies like OSHA.

One of the best ways to ensure a safe workplace is to join a union. But without strong health and safety protections at the local, state and federal levels, too many workers will be lost each year to preventable accidents.

Keep that in mind when you’re at the ballot box this November.