New Hampshire HB 1451: relative to protecting workers from extreme temperature-related injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

Bill Text

HB 1451 - AS INTRODUCED

2026 SESSION

 26-2831

 06/08

HOUSE BILL 1451

AN ACT relative to protecting workers from extreme temperature-related injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

SPONSORS: Rep. Muns, Rock. 29; Rep. de Vries, Rock. 29; Rep. Edgar, Rock. 29; Rep. Wade, Straf. 15; Rep. Levesque, Straf. 4; Rep. LeClerc, Hills. 34; Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24

COMMITTEE: Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Services

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ANALYSIS

 This bill requires employers to develop written plans and training programs to protect workers from heat and cold stress at extreme temperatures, mandates rest breaks and fluids, prohibits retaliation, and authorizes rulemaking for enforcement.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 26-2831

 06/08

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT relative to protecting workers from extreme temperature-related injuries and fatalities in the workplace.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Short Title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the Workplace Extreme Temperatures Protection Standards Act. 

 2 Purpose. 

 I. From 1992 to 2022, a total of 986 workers across all industry sectors in the United States died from exposure to heat. This represents an average of 34 deaths per year. 

 II. Over the last few decades, unusually hot summer days and nights have become more common across the contiguous 48 states. 

 III. Between 2011 and 2020 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an average of?45 worker deaths per year from low temperature extremes with 190 cases of environmental cold exposure in 2020 alone. Other data points suggest a higher annual number, with some estimates suggesting nearly 25,000 total cold-related deaths in the United States annually, 32 percent (8,000) of which are work-related, particularly in industries like construction and transportation. 

 IV. Between 2015 and 2025, Concord averaged 80 days per year with temperatures at or above 80 degrees and 42 days per year with temperatures at or below 15 degrees. Between 2004 and 2014, the average was 70 days at or above 80 degrees and 52 days at or below 15 degrees per year. In 2025 alone, so far there have been 80 days where the temperature was at or above 80 degrees and 36 days where the temperature was 15 degrees or lower. 

 V. It is expected that extreme weather events will occur with greater frequency and intensity in the future. Thus, extreme weather-related deaths are also expected to increase. It is important therefore to ensure that the health of all workers, but particularly those who work outside is protected. 

 3 New Paragraph; Safety Provisions; Administrative Penalty. Amend RSA 281-A:64 by inserting after paragraph VIII the following new paragraph: 

 IX. Each employer, with the assistance of the commissioner, shall develop and implement a written plan to provide necessary protections for workers at risk of heat or cold stress due to workplace apparent temperatures 80 degrees Fahrenheit and above or 15 degrees Fahrenheit and below. This plan shall include the provision of liquids and paid rest breaks in temperature-protected areas appropriate to the temperature. 

 (a) The written plan required by this paragraph shall: 

 (1) Use the hierarchy of controls, relying on hazard elimination, personal protective equipment (PPE), engineering controls, and administrative controls, to address heat and cold stress;

 (2) Be tailored and specific to the heat and cold hazards present in the place of employment;

 (3) Include procedures for acclimatization of new or returning employees;

 (4) Require additional mandatory rest in a temperature-protected area and provision of fluids when the apparent temperature or heat index is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and above or the apparent temperature of wind chill is 15 degrees Fahrenheit and below;

 (5) Set out emergency procedures for employees exhibiting symptoms of heat or cold stress, and include a buddy system or other communication framework to identify workers experiencing such symptoms;

 (6) Be developed and implemented with the meaningful participation of employees, collective bargaining representatives, or other employee representatives, be in writing and in the language understood by a majority of employees if the majority do not understand English;

 (7) Not be construed to diminish the rights, privileges, or remedies of any employee under a collective bargaining agreement; and

 (8) Be made available upon request to employees, employee representatives, and the c