Opinion: Why doesn't B.C. have a trigger temperature to protect workers from extreme heat?

B.C.'s heat regulations apply to all workplaces, including other high-risk sectors like construction, but research shows that under current rules it's unclear to employers when they're required to start adopting cooling measures, write Susanna Klassen and Anelyse Weiler. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /PNG

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Environment Canada predicts that 2026 will be among the hottest years on record. With El Niño projected to bring hotter and drier conditions, workers are feeling the heat.

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In early May, B.C. greenhouse workers were already reporting 40 C temperatures.

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When the mercury rises, our thinking and response time become more sluggish. Hotter temperatures drastically slow worker productivity, increase the risk of accidents, and put pressure on our hearts and kidneys.

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June 25 marked the fifth anniversary of the Pacific Northwest heat dome, which killed 619 people in BC. So why hasn’t WorkSafeBC updated its extreme heat protections since 2005?

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In our research, we found that B.C.’s current heat regulations are outdated, aren’t widely known by workers and are poorly enforced. Agricultural workers are especially vulnerable to heat stress because they often have a precarious immigration status, are rarely unionized and usually do taxing physical labour outdoors without shade.

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But B.C.’s heat regulations apply to all workplaces, including other high-risk sectors like construction and indoor food service. Our research shows that under current B.C. rules, it’s unclear to employers when they’re required to start adopting cooling measures.

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The good news is that WorkSafeBC is planning to revise its heat protections in 2026. What can B.C. learn from other jurisdictions that have already modernized their heat protections for workers?

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To answer that question, we interviewed 50 people from labour organizations and occupational health and non-profits groups in Canada and the U.S. Several U.S. states, including Washington, Oregon and California, have heat protections for workers that are far stronger than ours.

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While the protections in Colorado, Oregon and Maryland are new, other jurisdictions like California and Washington have shown leadership by updating regulations to reflect the latest research and worker organizing, and to correspond with the reality of a warmer planet. When California updated its outdoor heat standard in 2015 and ratcheted up its enforcement, heat-related deaths were reduced by 51 per cent.

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Importantly, all U.S. states with enforceable heat protections have adopted a clear, easy-to-measure “trigger temperature,” at which point an employer must begin implementing measures like providing workers with cold drinking water and shade. According to the Americans we interviewed, a trigger temperature was essential to ensure clarity for workers and employers, and to support stronger compliance and enforcement.

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As one policy expert put it: “If you don’t have trigger temperatures, what you’re really saying to employers and workers alike is, ‘All of you need to be amateur epidemiologists.’ Without trigger temperatures, you’re setting people up to still get hurt.”