Business, labor, and safety leaders seek stakeholder input as part of heat task force

Members of the state’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force, including the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Arizona Manufacturers Council, are seeking feedback from their associations’ memberships as part of the task force’s efforts to craft practical and evidence-based recommendations to protect workers during Arizona’s extreme summer heat.

The task force is seeking to balance worker safety with operational feasibility and the realities of working in an arid desert climate.

Task force members have been charged with developing recommendations that are economically feasible, measurable, and data-driven. The goal is to identify tools rather than legal mandates to assist the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health in its efforts to reduce heat-related illness and injury.

“These recommendations are about promoting smart, scalable strategies that employers can actually implement,” said Grace Appelbe, executive director of the Arizona Manufacturers Council. “We want to ensure Arizona stays ahead of the curve by prioritizing both safety and economic sustainability.”

The task force was established by an executive order from Governor Katie Hobbs following consecutive summers of record-breaking heat. The initiative builds on ADOSH’s 2023 State Emphasis Program, which resulted in a marked decrease in heat-related claims in 2024.

Each task force member—representing sectors from agriculture and construction to health care and logistics—has been assigned to conduct stakeholder outreach in advance of future meetings. These meetings are critical for gathering feedback and data that will inform the recommendations.

Other states are engaged in similar heat-related work, but Appelbe said the task force is wary of adopting one-size-fits-all standards, pointing to examples where heat safety efforts faltered due to limited stakeholder engagement and insufficient data.

“We’re seeking input from employers, workers, and safety professionals to make sure the final product works in the real world,” she said.

Task force recommendations are due in December and will be submitted to the ADOSH Advisory Committee for further review before ultimately being shared with the Industrial Commission of Arizona.

Appelbe said input can be directed to task force representatives or submitted directly to the Chamber and Manufacturers Council to ensure Arizona’s business voice is well-represented in the process.

“Construction worker water break” by David McSpadden is licensed under CC BY 2.0.