Amid a dangerous heat wave, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law nullifying local regulations, including mandated water breaks for construction workers, effective from September 1.
The new law, backed by the Republicans, gives state authority precedence over local municipalities for enacting regulations, affecting areas such as worker, environmental, and housing protections.
The decision, heavily criticized by some who call it the “Death Star Bill,” comes as Texas experiences record-breaking heat, and already holds the highest rate of worker deaths due to heat in the nation.
As giant a douchebag as Abbott is (and most if not all of the GOP), it saddens me that in 2023 there are still people who a) won’t stop working and take a drink when they need it, fuck the boss if he doesn’t like it, and worse managers who would try to disallow it in the first place. We shouldn’t have to have a law. This shit is common sense.
Safety regulations are written in blood. Companies cannot be expected to self regulate.
10 minutes to cool down and hydrate every 4 hours.
That should be every 1-2 hours depending on the temperature.
