With the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) recently proposed rule for federal heat protections, Lawn Love ranked 2024’s Safest States for Outdoor Workers.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia were compared and ranked based on 26 total metrics, broken down into the following five categories:
- Legislation protecting workers from extreme weather conditions
- Whistleblower retaliation rights
- Employment benefits
- Number of work-related injuries and fatalities
- Climate
| 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 |
Click here for the full list and to see where your state ranks.
Key Insights
New Rule Would Protect Workers From Extreme Heat
Proposed rule would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan for workplaces affected by excessive heat. Read more…
New Rule Would Protect Workers From Extreme Heat- 21 states stay prepared with their own OSHA-approved state safety plans, protecting both private and government employees.
- Eight states require 10-hour or 30-hour OSHA training, which informs and trains workers and supervisors on dealing with typical safety and health hazards.
- Only four states — Washington (No. 1), Oregon (No. 2), California (No. 4), and Colorado (No. 12) — have laws protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat.
Some states are going so far as to pass legislation preventing local counties and cities from improving work safety standards…