Amendment of Municipal Code Title 6, Chapter 140 regarding heat illness prevention in outdoor places of employment

Clerk's short name: Heat-Related Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment Ordinance

• Record number: SO2023-0004210
• Type: Ordinance; category: Municipal Code Amendments
• Status: Council Consideration
• Sponsor: Maria E. Hadden (49th Ward)
• Committee: Committee on Workforce Development
• Submitted Date: Sep 14, 2023
• Introduction Date: Sep 14, 2023
• Official record: Office of the City Clerk

Impact report

Written by AI from the official document. AI can make mistakes; the official document always wins.

This ordinance would require Chicago employers to give outdoor workers shade, water, cool-down breaks, heat safety training, and emergency help when the heat index is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Who it affects

• Outdoor workers, including City and Sister Agency employees: They would get free water, access to shade, cool-down breaks, heat training in their preferred language, and a written heat safety plan.
• Employers with outdoor workers: They would have to provide shade and water, set up high-heat and emergency procedures, train staff, keep illness records for five years, and post notices of workers' rights.
• Workers designated to monitor others: They would receive annual training and watch up to 20 outdoor workers each for signs of heat-related illness.
• New outdoor workers: They would be observed by a designated worker during their first 14 days of work in hot months to make sure they adjust to the heat.
• Unionized construction workers: Construction workers covered by a bona fide collective bargaining agreement would not be covered by this ordinance.
• Emergency workers: Workers doing emergency operations and City Fire, Police, and Office of Emergency Management and Communications employees would not be covered.

What changes

• When the heat index is 90 degrees or higher, outdoor workers would get a mandatory 15-minute cool-down break in the shade every two hours.
• Employers would have to provide cool water at every shift, with water stations no more than 0.25 miles from where people work on large sites.
• Employers would have to adjust job quotas so workers can take cool-down rests, and these rests could not cut into meal breaks.
• Employers with three or more violations on three different days within 12 months could be found ineligible for City contracts or lose their license.
• Workers could file complaints through a system connected to the City's 311 service.

Money

• Employers who violate the rules would pay a fine of $500 to $1,000 per offense, with each day of a violation counted as a separate offense.
• Starting January 1, 2028, outdoor workers could sue employers for three times their lost wages from heat-related illness, plus medical costs, interest, court costs, and attorney's fees.
• Employers must provide water to outdoor workers at no cost.

When: January 1, 2027

Lobbying and money

Computed links; money near a vote is not evidence that it influenced the vote.

Who lobbied on it

• Chicagoland Chamber Of Commerce: SO2026-0024043 (SUPPORT); SO2023-0004210 (OPPOSE); (1 filing, Apr 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2026; Carl Gutierrez; matched by record number)

Alderpersons who received money from these interests