As summer temperatures climb, thousands of Kentucky workers in construction, agriculture, shipping and other outdoor or heat-exposed industries face growing risks from heat-related illness and injury. From 2019 to 2024, heat-related injuries sent Kentucky workers to hospitals more than 500 times, according to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center. Occupational health experts say the true number is likely higher because heat illnesses are often underreported.
The threat is expected to increase as climate change brings hotter summers and more humid working conditions. Medical and safety professionals say heat illness can be prevented when employers mindfully accommodate.
A proposed federal heat-safety rule announced in July 2024 was intended to protect roughly 36 million indoor and outdoor workers nationwide. The rule was designed to reduce workplace heat injuries, illnesses and deaths.
But the proposal has stalled and may be revised or abandoned. In Kentucky, lawmakers also moved to cap state occupational safety standards at federal levels, limiting the state’s ability to create Kentucky-specific protections for heat exposure.
Without formal heat standards, Kentucky’s Occupational Safety and Health program has limited enforcement tools. KYSAFE, the state’s workplace safety consultation program, begins outreach each May, sending consultants across the state to advise employers on heat precautions.
Lynn Whitehouse, division director for KYSAFE, said that employers can reduce risk by monitoring workers, providing water and shade, scheduling rest breaks, rotating crews and shifting work to cooler parts of the day.
“Heat injury and illness is totally preventable,” Whitehouse said.
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