New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has signed an Executive Order directing a whole-of-government response to protect workers from extreme heat, marking the first initiative of its kind in the city’s history.
Announced alongside labour unions, community organisations, City agency commissioners and workers at City Hall, the Executive Order expands New York City Emergency Management’s (NYCEM) existing Beat the Heat programme by extending similar protections and resources to workers exposed to rising temperatures.
The order directs the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), NYCEM and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to develop and distribute multilingual heat safety guidance for outdoor workers as soon as practicable this year.
Guidance for indoor workers must be issued by 1 March 2027.
Heat illness prevention plans for City workers
Every mayoral agency will also be required to develop and implement heat illness prevention plans covering City employees and contractors.
The DOHMH has been instructed to study the relationship between extreme heat and workers’ compensation claims and assess whether heat illness should become a reportable health condition.
Meanwhile, the Department of Buildings (DOB) will review and strengthen construction site heat safety requirements, with recommendations due by 1 March 2027.
The Executive Order also reinforces existing protections for outdoor workers, including access to bathrooms and workplace reporting requirements.
Broader heat preparedness measures
The Executive Order forms part of the administration’s wider heat preparedness strategy.
Earlier in June, Mayor Mamdani released a public service announcement encouraging residents to recognise the symptoms of heat exhaustion and remain vigilant during periods of extreme heat.
For the first time, more than 2,200 LinkNYC kiosks will provide real-time walking directions to the nearest NYC Cooling Center within a 10-minute walk.
The kiosks will automatically update using data from the City’s Cool Options Finder as cooling centres open and close during heat emergencies.
Protecting New York’s outdoor workforce
More than 1.4 million New Yorkers, representing around one-third of the city’s workforce, spend extended periods working outdoors each summer.
This includes construction workers, day labourers, street vendors, delivery workers, truck drivers and warehouse workers.
Heat contributes to around 500 deaths in New York City every year, making it one of the city’s deadliest weather-related hazards.
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, said: “No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health. The workers building our skyline, delivering our packages, selling food on our street corners and keeping this city running deserve to come home safe at the end of every shift.
“In the past, workers have borne the burden of extreme heat while government looked the other way. We’re changing that because every worker’s life is worth protecting.
“As summer heats up, we’re taking a whole-of-government approach to keeping New Yorkers prepared, safe and cool.”
The Executive Order was developed in partnership with the TEMP Coalition, the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, 32BJ SEIU and dozens of labour unions and community organisations that have campaigned for stronger workplace heat protections.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, said: “Workers built New York and are the backbone of our great city. New Yorkers should never have to risk their lives to earn a living, but too often, workers are forced to endure dangerous and unbearable heat without the protections they need to stay safe.
“I have fought for years to enact stronger heat protections for workers nationwide, and I am grateful to Mayor Mamdani for taking action with today’s executive order.”
