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Senate committee backs bill to require shade, rest and water protections for high-heat industries
Summary
SB 1103 would direct Virginia’s Safety and Health Codes Board to identify high-hazard industries and adopt heat-illness prevention regulations, including an advisory panel and periodic reassessments; the committee voted 9–6 to report the bill to finance.
Senators on the committee voted 9–6 to report SB 1103, the “shade, rest and water” bill, after a lengthy hearing that included labor and faith-based advocates urging protections for workers in heat-exposed industries and agribusiness and construction representatives warning against a patchwork of state rules before federal OSHA finishes its rulemaking.
Senator Hashmi, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure directs the Safety and Health Codes Board to develop a list of high-hazard industries related to heat illness, adopt regulations to prevent heat illness and create an advisory panel to assist in drafting those rules. The bill includes a provision requiring the board to reassess the list every five years.
Worker-advocacy witnesses described cases of extreme heat outreach and deaths they linked to heat illness and urged passage. Manuel Gago of the Legal Justice Center and Ramon Sepella Ramos of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy urged the committee to adopt protections to prevent heat-related deaths among low-wage and outdoor workers.
Agribusiness and construction trade groups — including the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Virginia Agribusiness Council, Associated General Contractors of Virginia and the Virginia Highway Contractors Association — opposed immediate state action, citing an ongoing federal OSHA rulemaking and the challenges of applying uniform break requirements to industry-specific operations such as asphalt paving. Phil Abraham of the highway contractors said some proposed break schedules are impractical for certain operations.
Senators discussed whether college athletics would be covered; sponsor Hashmi and counsel clarified the bill limits regulation to industries identified by the board and that athletics are not the immediate target. Senator Marsden moved, and the committee adopted in concept an amendment to make regulations adopted under the bill superseded by a future federal OSHA rule. The committee voted 9–6 to report the bill to Senate Finance.
Supporters said the bill would give Virginia a state-level mechanism to protect workers while federal action has been slow; opponents said a federal standard should be awaited to avoid inconsistent state rules.
