Detroiter Alejandro, 47, works all day under the open sky. He does finishing work in construction on driveways, sidewalks, and patios. Although he's worked in construction for years and knows how to manage in the heat, he said he still gets dizzy sometimes.
"The sun is very intense, you have to be working all day, your shirt completely soaked in sweat," Alejandro said in Spanish.
About four years ago, Alejandro said he was finishing a job when his sight started to blur. Concrete dries quickly, and he had to work fast in the intense heat.
"It was really hot but I had to finish the job right and quickly so the boss didn't get upset," Alejandro said. "It's difficult but you get used to it."
Over his career, he said he's never seen a presentation on heat safety, and said state regulators do not come to his jobs. His bosses simply tell him what work he's doing and where.
It's rare for jobs to provide water, let alone lunch, Alejandro said. Planet Detroit is withholding his full name due to Alejandro's fear of immigration authorities.
"There are bad days at work," and sometimes the pressure mounts, he said. If employers provided enough water, it would make it more comfortable to work in the heat.
"I would like that managers consider us as human beings, not animals working without drinks."
— Alejandro, Detroit construction worker
Alejandro said he works in difficult circumstances to make sure his family has "everything" — bills that are paid and food on the table. He spoke with Planet Detroit while his children played soccer at Patton Park on a summer afternoon.
"We came to work, not to steal anything from anyone. We work to bring money home," Alejandro said.
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This story was produced as part of the Pulitzer Center's StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.
Learn about StoryReach FellowsHeat challenges surface at Southwest Detroit urgent care
The roof you sleep under, the sidewalk you walk on, the HVAC system that's keeping your home at a comfortable temperature: each element was installed by someone working under increasingly hot conditions.
Christopher Noah-Sayers, physician assistant at Acadian Urgent Care Clinic in the Springwells neighborhood of Southwest Detroit, said during summer 2025 he saw "at least" one worker a week due to heat-related illnesses.
Outdoor workers in construction, roofing, or landscaping come in "very red in the face" from heat rash or heat exhaustion, he said.
"Even the healthiest person can still get heat stroke or heat exhaustion, even if they drink a ton of water. Once they get heat stroke, they need to be in the hospital."
— Christopher Noah-Sayers, PA, Acadian Urgent Care Clinic
Heat is the No. 1 weather-related killer in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. Heat claimed the lives of four workers in Michigan from 2011 to 2024.
Heat kills more Americans than hurricanes or tornadoes, yet people don't think of the dangers in the same dramatic way, and until recently, neither did policymakers.
On Aug. 30, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a new heat injury and illness prevention standard that would require employers to plan for heat hazards in their workplace.
In the meantime, Latinos — who are overrepresented in construction, food processing, and manufacturing — are still being affected by heat, yet few protections exist to safeguard them from rising temperatures.
Freeway work 'like a sauna'
Luis Hernandez, a 69-year-old retired construction worker and Wyandotte resident, spent 24 years in highway construction. He helped build sections of I-75, I-94, the John C. Lodge freeway, and airports in Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Flint.
For most of his career, Hernandez worked with a crew of four others building manholes for freeway drains. The jobs started 30 feet deep at the bottom of a hole, and the workers spiraled up the cylinder, laying the drains block by block.
Each manhole took about an hour. In the summer, Hernandez said they felt "like a sauna."
"I felt like I was suffocating because there was so much condensation," he said in Spanish. "When I came out, I looked like a mouse that had fallen into a bucket of water."
The crew had to stay "in the hole" until the job was done: no water and no food until they came out.
His enjoyment of retirement is tempered by hearing loss and physical therapy for back problems — what he calls "the payback of all of those years of hard physical work."
Some worksites are improving, Hernandez said. His sons work on the Gordie Howe International Bridge project, where workers are supplied with "quite a lot" of mineralized water.
Photo by Maricela Hernández for Planet Detroit
Detroit heats up
In 2024, the earth's average surface temperature record was shattered as the warmest in history since recordkeeping began in 1880, according to NASA. The third warmest year was 2025, according to NOAA's global temperature record.
Since 1970, the average annual temperature in Detroit has climbed 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Climate Central. The urban heat island effect — in which high temperatures and humidity combine to create dangerous heat index values — is a significant concern for Detroit and similar urban areas.
Outdoor urban workers may face higher temperatures from the heat island effect, which can raise city temperatures by 18 to 27°F during the day and 9 to 18°F at night compared to outlying areas, according to the EPA.
Rising Heat Index Days in Detroit
Additional days per year compared to 1979 baseline · 1979–2023
Source: gridMET dataset, National Weather Service · Climate Central analysis
A study supported by Nature found that U.S. population exposure to extreme heat increases four- to six-fold over observed levels in the late twentieth century. Overnight lows have warmed faster than daytime highs, which may lessen opportunities for relief during heat waves.
More frequent heatwaves and humid conditions elevate the risk of heat-related deaths and illnesses.
Outdoor workers pay the price of a warming climate
Construction workers represent only 6% of the total U.S. workforce, yet they account for more than one-third of all reported occupational deaths associated with heat exposure, according to a study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Outdoor workers disproportionately face greater heat-related health threats, especially in jobs involving strenuous activity like shoveling, manual sawing, pushing and pulling heavy loads, or walking at a fast pace.
Heat-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths at work are largely preventable, according to the National Integrated Heat Health Information System. Yet comprehensive nationwide standards and protections for workers contending with heat are lacking, said Laurel Harduar Morano, associate professor at Michigan State University.
'In workplace death, one is too many'
The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration does not define a specific temperature that is too hot for work, and the state agency does not have a heat standard. Instead, MIOSHA encourages employers to enact elements of a heat illness prevention program.
The federal OSHA's proposed national heat rule would cover all employers working indoors or outdoors when the heat index is 80°F or higher. Post-hearing comments were accepted until Oct. 30, 2025.
The long road to a heat standard
The Occupational Safety and Health Act creates OSHA and establishes nationwide workplace safety standards.
NIOSH issues first criteria document recommending heat standards.
NIOSH revises heat criteria, setting a formal criteria for a heat standard — still only a recommendation.
President Biden signs an executive order laying groundwork for the Labor Department's Climate Action Plan.
OSHA's National Emphasis Program on heat-related hazards expands to cover both outdoor and indoor environments.
OSHA proposes historic heat injury and illness prevention standard for employers nationwide.
Public comment period closes. OSHA concludes hearings as part of ongoing rulemaking process.
Kristen Osterkamp, program manager at MIOSHA, said the state agency has seen a 30% increase in heat consultations in the last three years since the state program was created. In the last year, 225 employers asked for heat consultations.
"It's a clear sign that employers are engaging with us before a problem happens," Osterkamp said.
"In workplace death, one is too many. Our trainers work daily with employers to implement plans to ensure our workers are going to be safe, not wait for a death to happen."
— Kristen Osterkamp, MIOSHA Program Manager
Employers doing it right
Paul Mahon, senior project manager for Grand Traverse Construction in Traverse City, completed MIOSHA's heat safety training in summer 2025. The company's 58 employees provide commercial and industrial services across Northern Michigan.
Summer temperatures in Traverse City averaged 77°F in the past three years. In late June 2025, the northern coastal city saw a heat index of 107°F — placing workers in NOAA's "danger" category.
A week before high heat index days, Mahon sends out reminders to his crews to plan accordingly. He stocks all worksites with water, coolers, electrolyte drinks, and plans break times in cool trailers during peak temperatures.
"We're not opposed to spending dollars to make sure everybody's safe. You got to take care of your employees across the board."
— Paul Mahon, Grand Traverse Construction
Mahon said the "good" employers look out for their employees — "we're nothing without" them. If an employer is not looking ahead or providing the right equipment, additional break time, and resources, that's impacting the employee.
"It's just a bad condition to be in. We don't operate that as a business, and we wouldn't expect other businesses to operate that way either," Mahon said.