Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bill allowing construction to start early on weekends to combat high temperatures. She also established a Workplace Heat Safety Task Force to create guidelines for employers, emphasizing the importance of protecting workers from heat-related illnesses.
Arizona Department of Transportation photo
Arizona Department of Transportation crews work in the heat in 2024 to remove vegetation, grade the roadway and repair drainage culverts to prepare for a project that will restore limited access to a stretch of State Route 88
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed into law on May 13, 2025, legislation that allows construction to start at 5 a.m. on weekends and 7 a.m. on Saturdays from May 1 to Oct. 15 to help workers cope with the state's high temperatures, constructionconnect.com reported.
And concrete pouring can begin as early as 4 a.m. on weekdays.
The new law overrides local ordinances, enabling contractors to better schedule projects, construction connect.com reported.
Sunday hours are still controlled by local governments.
"It is a benefit for the construction workers to make sure that their health and safety is being taken into account, while also expediting the development of new housing, which is another piece of this bigger puzzle of the affordable housing crisis," state Sen. Analise Ortiz, who sponsored the legislation, told kjzz.org.
During a bill hearing, Spencer Kamps of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona said some of the risks construction workers face during Arizona's extreme summers are preventable.
"You can do a lot of mitigation measures — water, rest and shade — but quite honestly the best mitigation measure to prevent heat stroke or heat injury is the schedule," Kamps said, according to kjzz.org.
Hobbs also signed an executive order on May 22 that directs the Industrial Commission of Arizona's Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) to form a Workplace Heat Safety Task Force. Composed of industry leaders, worker representatives, and occupational safety and health experts, the task force will be responsible for drafting and recommending heat guidelines for employers before the end of the year.
This work will build on the ICA's Heat Stress State Emphasis Program (SEP) launched in July 2023, which was created to reduce heat-related illnesses and injuries in the workplace through inspections, training, and compliance assistance.
"We are taking action to protect Arizonans from heat risk in the workplace," Hobbs said. "Whether building our homes, growing our produce or manufacturing the next advanced technology, Arizonans deserve to be safe at work. Through this executive order, we are partnering with employers to ensure the health and safety of all Arizona workers."
As temperatures rise in Arizona, approximately one in five workers is in a heat hazard industry, and every year the ICA receives hundreds of workers' compensation claims for heat-related illnesses.
"Prioritizing occupational heat safety is not merely a matter of adhering to legal statutes and upholding ethical responsibilities; it is also a demonstrably sound business practice," said ICA Director Gaetano Testini.
"As ironworkers we know the dangers of working in the Arizona heat, and over the years we have worked to implement best practices on our jobsites to make sure our members return home safely to their family after a hard day's work," said Jason Sangster, business manager of Ironworkers Local 75 and member of the Workplace Heat Safety Task Force. "We look forward to working with Gov. Hobbs to ensure all Arizonans can receive the training necessary to identify and prevent heat illness starting with having access to cool clean water, shade, and a place to rest."
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