| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 112 2925 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Resolution 209 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Schofield of the 63 |
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| 4 | 4 | | rd |
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| 5 | 5 | | , McClain of the 109 |
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| 6 | 6 | | th |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Scott of the 76 |
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| 8 | 8 | | th |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Jones of the |
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| 10 | 10 | | 60 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , and Glaize of the 67 |
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| 13 | 13 | | th |
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| 14 | 14 | | |
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| 15 | 15 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 16 | 16 | | Urging the Georgia General Assembly to pass LC 46 0977, the Workplace Safety and Heat |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1 |
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| 18 | 18 | | Protection Act, to ensure critical protections for workers facing extreme heat conditions; and2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | for other purposes.3 |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, extreme heat poses severe health risks to workers, including heat exhaustion,4 |
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| 21 | 21 | | heat stroke, and other life-threatening heat-related illnesses, disproportionately affecting5 |
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| 22 | 22 | | employees in high-exposure industries such as agriculture, construction, manufacturing, and6 |
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| 23 | 23 | | warehousing; and7 |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Georgia is experiencing increasingly extreme heat conditions, with an average8 |
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| 25 | 25 | | of 20 more dangerously hot days per year compared to historical averages—a number9 |
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| 26 | 26 | | projected to rise due to climate change, increasing the urgency for legislative action; and10 |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, studies show that workers in high-heat conditions are 50 percent more likely11 |
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| 28 | 28 | | to suffer from workplace injuries, and heat-related deaths in the United States have increased12 |
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| 29 | 29 | | by nearly 60 percent over the past two decades, underscoring the escalating dangers of13 |
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| 30 | 30 | | unregulated heat exposure in the workplace; and14 |
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| 31 | 31 | | H. R. 209 |
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| 32 | 32 | | - 1 - 25 LC 112 2925 |
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| 33 | 33 | | WHEREAS, Georgia has over 425,000 workers employed in high-risk industries vulnerable |
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| 34 | 34 | | 15 |
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| 35 | 35 | | to extreme heat, many of whom are low-income and lack access to sufficient workplace16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | protections, putting their livelihoods and well-being at risk; and17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, federal regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration18 |
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| 38 | 38 | | (OSHA) do not currently provide sufficient mandates to address workplace heat exposure,19 |
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| 39 | 39 | | leaving Georgia workers without adequate safeguards against extreme temperatures; and20 |
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| 40 | 40 | | WHEREAS, failure to pass LC 46 0977 would expose thousands of Georgia workers to21 |
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| 41 | 41 | | preventable heat-related illnesses and fatalities, leading to increased medical costs, lost22 |
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| 42 | 42 | | wages, decreased productivity, and strain on emergency medical services, all of which23 |
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| 43 | 43 | | negatively impact Georgia's economy and workforce; and24 |
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| 44 | 44 | | WHEREAS, implementing a heat illness prevention program, as outlined in LC 46 0977,25 |
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| 45 | 45 | | would provide necessary workplace protections, including access to water, shaded areas,26 |
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| 46 | 46 | | mandatory rest breaks, risk assessments, employee training, and emergency response plans,27 |
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| 47 | 47 | | ensuring the safety and well-being of Georgia's workforce.28 |
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| 48 | 48 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that29 |
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| 49 | 49 | | the members of this body urge the Georgia General Assembly to swiftly pass LC 46 0977,30 |
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| 50 | 50 | | the Workplace Safety and Heat Protection Act, to protect Georgia's workers from the dangers31 |
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| 51 | 51 | | of extreme heat exposure and to establish Georgia as a national leader in worker safety and32 |
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| 52 | 52 | | well-being.33 |
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| 53 | 53 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized34 |
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| 54 | 54 | | and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the35 |
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| 55 | 55 | | Governor, the Commissioner of Labor, and all members of the Georgia General Assembly.36 |
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| 56 | 56 | | H. R. 209 |
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| 57 | 57 | | - 2 - |
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