Facing hotter working conditions, activists await new state regulations on employee protections

A video of a UPS driver collapsing on the job in Arizona went viral last month. After a brief pause, the employee rises and goes back to work. Millions of workers are toiling under similar conditions as heat waves ravage the country this summer. In Maryland, backers of legislation to protect workers against heat stress are frustrated by what they call the Hogan administration’s “lack of urgency” and transparency in creating regulations to implement the bill, nearly two years after it became law. The recent heat wave highlights the importance of heat regulations as the Maryland Department of Labor continues work on carrying out House Bill 722, which passed the General Assembly in 2020.