紐時賞析／川普政府正撤銷職場防暑保護

As Temperatures Surge, Efforts for Workplace Heat Protections Cool

川普政府正撤銷職場防暑保護

The Trump administration is moving to rewrite Biden-era rules that would mandate breaks and access to water and shade for workers, a step businesses lauded but that labor groups said could weaken already limited federal protections. Congress is considering legislation that would go a step further, prohibiting the Labor Department from adopting the Biden-era heat plan or similar rules.

川普政府正著手大幅修改拜登時代的規定。該規定原本擬強制雇主為工人提供休息時間、飲水和遮蔭處；此舉雖獲得企業界讚賞，但勞工團體指出這恐將進一步削弱本就有限的聯邦保護。國會亦正在審議相關法案，擬採取更激進的措施，直接禁止勞工部採用拜登時期的防暑計畫或任何類似規定。

At the same time, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is curtailing workplace inspections that President Joe Biden’s appointees had increased to raise awareness of heat-related illnesses. OSHA officials did not respond to questions about enforcement activity.

在此同時，美國職業安全與健康管理局（OSHA）正在減少職場檢查；此前，拜登任命的官員曾增加檢查次數，以提高人們對熱相關疾病的意識。OSHA官員並未回應提問。

The proposed revisions would also reverse momentum toward codifying extreme heat as a workplace hazard.

擬議的修改也將逆轉將「極端高溫」納入法定職場危害的推動驅勢。

“They’re bringing the workforce back to the 1800s,” said Trina David, a crew chief at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The temperature in the city often hits triple digits in the summer, and it can be even hotter on the tarmac.

「他們正把勞動力帶回19世紀。」鳳凰城天港國際機場的機務長崔娜．戴維說。該市夏季氣溫常達華氏三位數（約37.8°C以上），跑道柏油路上溫度甚至更高。

OSHA oversees workplace safety in about half of states; in the others, it delegates those duties to state agencies under plans federal regulators approve. Some states, including California, Oregon and Maryland, and cities have their own workplace heat protections in place.

OSHA監管約一半州份的職場安全；在其他州，該機構則根據聯邦監管機構批准的計畫，將這些職責委託給州政府機構。包括加州、奧勒岡州、馬里蘭州在內的一些州及部分城市，已制定了自身的職場高溫保護措施。

But gaps in worker protections and rising temperatures prompted the Biden administration to increase federal oversight of workplaces where extreme heat is common. In 2022, OSHA started a program to double inspections.

然而，勞工保護的漏洞以及不斷上升的氣溫，促使拜登政府加強對常出現極端高溫之職場的聯邦監管。2022年，OSHA啟動了一項將檢查次數翻倍的計畫。

As Biden’s term waned in the summer of 2024, OSHA proposed rules that would require employers to develop heat plans and provide rest areas and water anytime the heat index reaches 80 degrees or higher.

隨著拜登任期於2024年夏季接近尾聲，OSHA提出新規定，要求雇主在酷熱指數達到華氏80度（約26.7°C）或更高時，隨時制定防暑計畫並提供休息區和飲水。

Last month, the Trump administration published plans to continue that rule-making process — but with significant revisions planned for release by the end of this year. The measure could become final in 2027.

上個月，川普政府公布了繼續推進該制定法規流程的計畫，但預計在今年年底前發布重大修改。該措施可能會在2027年正式定案。

Business groups including Associated Builders and Contractors have said that a vast majority of employers already monitor heat hazards and take steps to protect workers.

包括美國建築商與承包商協會在內的商業團體表示，絕大多數雇主已在監測高溫危害並採取措施保護工人。

“There’s room for a sensible standard here, but not the one the Biden administration proposed,” said Marc Freedman, vice president of workplace policy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

美國商會職場政策副總裁馬克．弗里德曼表示：「其中確實有制定合情合理標準的空間，但絕不是拜登政府所提議的那一套。」

文／Scott Dance，譯／國際中心