Some years ago my husband was working on an outdoor event in Atlanta in the summer and suffered heat exhaustion. It was very scary and we were lucky because a colleague lived nearby and had a swimming pool. He was able to submerge and recover after rehydrating. Had it not been for these measures, his condition would likely have escalated to heat stroke and required medical attention.

Thousands of workers face heat related hazards every day in the Commonwealth and regulations are sorely needed to provide employers with guidelines for preventing serious heat related illnesses.  Cleary this is an example of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" and there will be huge cost savings when workers will be diverted from hospitalizations caused by heat.

Virginia has become a leader in workplace safety- please issue strong protections for workers who face increasing heat hazards as climate change is causing hotter dryer  summers.