New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani signed Executive Order No. 17 on June 22, 2026, marking the first-ever worker heat protection order in the city’s history as extreme temperatures threaten the 1.4 million New Yorkers who work outdoors.
The executive order directs a whole-of-government response to protect workers from extreme heat, requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, NYC Emergency Management, and the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to develop and distribute multilingual heat safety guidance for outdoor workers by the end of 2026. Guidance for indoor workers will follow by March 1, 2027.
“No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health,” Mayor Mamdani said in a statement. “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.”
Every mayoral agency must now develop and implement heat illness prevention plans for city employees and contractors. The Department of Buildings will review and strengthen construction-site heat-safety requirements, with recommendations due by March 1, 2027. The order also reinforces existing protections for outdoor workers, including access to bathrooms and workplace reporting requirements.
The health stakes are significant. Heat contributes to approximately 500 deaths in New York City each year, making it one of the deadliest weather-related hazards facing New Yorkers. Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga emphasized the racial disparity: “Black New Yorkers are dying of heat stroke at twice the rate of white New Yorkers, and Latino workers are disproportionately exposed on job sites and in warehouses across this city.”
A National Trend, But NYC Moves Ahead
NYC’s executive order arrives as states across the country are slowly adopting heat protections. Currently, only seven states have occupational heat safety standards in place: California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. California became the first state to pass heat protection standards in 2006, two decades before most other jurisdictions took action. Maryland’s heat stress standard went into effect September 30, 2024, and at least 18 states proposed occupational heat safety regulations as of mid-2025, according to the Local Solutions Support Center.
The absence of comprehensive federal standards has left workers vulnerable. The American Bar Association noted in January 2026 that there is no nationwide regulation requiring employers to safeguard against heat-related hazards, forcing states and cities to act independently.
NYC’s order was developed in partnership with the TEMP Coalition, the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, 32BJ SEIU, and dozens of labor unions and community organizations that have advocated for stronger heat protections for years. The order also directs the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to study the relationship between extreme heat and workers’ compensation claims and evaluate whether heat illness should be designated a reportable health condition.
Sources
- NYC.gov — Official announcement of Executive Order No. 17, signed June 22, 2026, detailing all requirements and agency directives for worker heat protection
- Local Solutions Support Center — Confirmed that seven states have heat safety laws and 18 states proposed occupational heat safety regulations
- Green America — Noted California became the first state to pass heat protection standards in 2006
- American Bar Association — Confirmed absence of nationwide regulation for heat-related workplace hazards as of January 2026
- Labor & Industries, Washington State — Referenced state heat protection standards and temperature thresholds
