Charles Santiago
Six months was enough for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to recognise extreme heat as a workplace hazard and act.
How many more heatwaves will Malaysia need before we do the same?
His order goes beyond awareness campaigns. It requires heat illness prevention plans, multilingual safety guidance and stronger protections for outdoor workers. It also calls for reviews of workplace safety rules in high-risk sectors like construction and delivery.
This raises an uncomfortable question for Malaysia: why are we still largely relying on advisories and voluntary guidance? Heat exposure is already affecting thousands of outdoor and gig workers daily.
Why are we not being proactive? Must we wait until heatstroke deaths or major public outrage before acting? Climate change is not a future threat. Extreme heat is already here.
If New York can mobilise city agencies within weeks, Malaysia can do better too. Federal and state governments should offer more than reminders to ‘stay hydrated’. Where is our national heat action plan? Where are mandatory rest breaks, cooling shelters and heat-risk protocols?
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From New York to France to China, governments are already moving beyond advisories. They are putting real worker protections in place against extreme heat.
If other governments can proactively regulate for worker safety, what is stopping ours?
Charles Santiago is the former MP for Klang.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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