Summers are getting hotter in the Philly region. A nationwide survey shows outdoor workers already feel the heat

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This summer was Philadelphia’s fifth warmest on record. As climate change pushes temperatures higher, people who work outside are among those most at risk.

A new report by the research nonprofit Urban Institute finds more than one in seven outdoor workers nationwide experienced heat exhaustion and other heat-related symptoms on the job last year.

“Extreme heat is more than just an inconvenience — it’s a serious health risk for workers,” said Lisa Clemans-Cope, author and senior research fellow at the Urban Institute. “Without stronger protections, these numbers are going to rise as the temperature rises.”

The survey of thousands of workers found the health impacts of heat were most common in certain industries: agriculture, mining and construction. Close to 283,000 people in Pennsylvania and over 167,000 in New Jersey worked in mining, logging and construction in August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Low-wage workers, Hispanic men and non-citizens who responded to the Urban Institute’s survey experienced heat-related symptoms at the highest rates.

“Hispanic men, low-wage workers making $15 per hour or less and non-citizens are disproportionately funneled into the most dangerous jobs in terms of heat,” Clemans-Cope said. “This is a result of the intersection of climate risks and long-standing racial and economic inequalities.”

This summer, the federal government proposed new rules that would require employers give workers water, shade and breaks at certain temperatures. But the rules face opposition from industry groups, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, could block their implementation if he wins this fall’s election.

“There’s a very important role for states to step in and provide these protections,” Clemans-Cope said.

A handful of states have enacted their own workplace heat protections — but Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey are not among them. Maryland is set to become the first East Coast state to finalize its own standards.

One surprising takeaway from the survey that could inform local efforts to protect workers from extreme heat was the prevalence of hot indoor workplaces, especially in industries like manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, Clemans-Cope said. More than one in four employed adults reported working in non-climate-controlled indoor spaces at least some of the time.

“Everybody needs to really think hard about that,” she said.