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Martin Capallera, 50, a construction employee, throws on his neon vest and slips on his neck gaiter after taking a break in his car while working in the late morning heat in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023. Capallera specializes in rewiring buildings and currently works on the 24th floor of a new building on W. 21st Street and San Antonio. “We try to keep our people safe,” Capallera said. “We’re all the time under the sun.”
Climate Change in Texas

Limited regulations make Texas workers responsible for preventing on-the-job heat injuries

In triple-digit temperatures, drinking water frequently and resting in the shade are minimum safety measures for avoiding injuries and deaths. But they are not applied to every job site.


Construction employees work through the late morning heat on the top floor of a new building on W. 21st Street and Guadalupe in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023.
Marque Clark, 41, of Austin, a traffic control employee, works through the late morning heat in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023.
Marque Clark, 41, of Austin, a traffic control employee, adjusts his hard hat while working through the late morning heat in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023.

How to prevent exposure to heat hazards

“We do not recommend working from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. under the sun. But we have to work because we have to eat, right?”

— David Delgado, construction supervisor in Laredo

Heat protection standards

Juan Pedro Muñoz, 45, takes a moment to cool off from the heat and wipe sweat off his head while he works on renovating the floor of a home in Austin on July 7, 2023.
Johnny Barcenas, 24, sweats while working on renovating the floor of a home with Juan Pedro Muñoz and their crew in Austin on July 7, 2023.
Juan Pedro Muñoz, 45, left, Johnny Barcenas, 24, center, and  Juan Barcenas, 45, right, take a lunch break while working on renovating the floor of a home in Austin on July 7, 2023. “We’ve got breaks all day,” Muñoz said. “It’s still very hot and the guys need to drink water and everything.”
A bottle of water sticks through a hole in the fence of a construction site in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023.

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The Texas Tribune is reporting on how excessive heat is affecting Texans. To share your experience with us, you can fill out this form.