Exploring Outdoor Worker Safety in Wildfire Smoke
As areas of the U.S. continue to see an unhealthy air quality index, what can be done to ensure people required to work outdoors remain safe?
- By Alex Saurman
- Jun 09, 2023
In the past few days, Canadian wildfire smoke has caused the air quality in many regions of the U.S. to become unhealthy.
On June 7, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures air pollution using a scale of 0, representing good air quality, to 500, representing hazardous air quality, had reached 484. New York and other areas, like Washington D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia, issued air quality health advisories and alerts.
While many residents have been advised to stay indoors and wear masks if they go outside, what effects does wildfire smoke have on people, like outdoor workers, who are exposed to it?
Though not much is known about the effects of wildfire smoke specifically on outdoor workers, those exposed to wildfire smoke may experience eye irritation, coughing, pneumonia, per the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or more severe side effects such as chest pain, heart attacks and lung complications, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
“Right now, only two of 50 states—California and Oregon—have specific safety rules which protect workers from wildfire smoke,” said Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of The National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH), in a recently published news release. Washington State filed proposed permanent wildfire smoke rules for workers in May 2023.