Workers

Lawn Love - With the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s recently proposed rule for federal heat protections, Lawn Love ranked 2024’s Safest States for Outdoor Workers.   We compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 5 categories. We looked at legislation protecting workers from extreme weather conditions, whistleblower retaliation rights, and employment benefits. We also considered the number of work-related injuries and fatalities, in addition to climate, among 26 total metrics. See the 5 safest (and 5 least safe) states for outdoor workers below, followed by key takeaways. (Don’t see your state below? Check out the full ranking.) Safest States for Outdoor Workers Least Safe States for Outdoor Workers Rank State Rank State 1 Washington 1 Arkansas 2 Oregon 2 Florida 3 Minnesota 3 Alabama 4 California 4 Mississippi 5 New York 5 Georgia

Key Insights: 21 states stay prepared with their own OSHA-approved state safety plans, protecting both private and government employees. 8 states require 10-hour or 30-hour OSHA training, which informs and trains workers and supervisors on dealing with typical safety and health hazards. Statistics show about 2,000 deaths and 170,000 injuries result each year from laboring in extreme heat in the U.S. Only 4 states — Washington (No. 1), Oregon (No. 2), California (No. 4), and Colorado (No. 12) — have laws protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat.  Hot and humid Southeastern states — Mississippi (No. 48), Alabama (No. 49), and Florida (No. 50) — land at the bottom of our ranking, alongside Arkansas, in last place. On top of a challenging climate, these states have low rates of both union membership and workers with health insurance, and high rates of severe work-related injuries per 100,000 residents. Full Story President Biden -  Average unemployment under our administration has been lower than during any administration in 50 years.