North Carolina is seeing the effects of a warming climate. Workers in a number of industries - including agriculture, construction, and transportation - face a disproportionate impact of rising heat.
Hospital emergency rooms across the state treated more than 3,700 people for heat-related illnesses this past summer. And in the last 15 years, more than a dozen people have died in the workplace because of heat.
Experts say there aren’t enough policies to protect outdoor workers from the dangers of extreme heat. With a quickly warming climate, the push to implement heat related protections is even more urgent.
Our series, Scorched Workers, examines the impact of rising heat on outdoor workers and explores the role worker protections is having in this year’s race for North Carolina’s labor commissioner.
Support for this project comes from the Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting Grants funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute.
Reporters: Celeste Gracia, Aaron Sánchez-Guerra
Digital Producer: Eli Chen
Social Media Producer: Josh Sullivan
Audio Engineer: Sean Roux
Digital Editor: Jason deBruyn
Project Editor: Elizabeth Baier
News Director: Brent Wolfe
Read the stories in our series:
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Aaron Sanchez-Guerra/WUNCRecent deaths are setting off a wake-up call across North Carolina about the harsh conditions outdoor workers face amid rising temperatures and scant workplace protections. -
Gerry Broome/APWith a quickly warming climate, the push to implement heat-related protections for outdoor workers is even more urgent. Worker protections are a central issue in this year's race for North Carolina's labor commissioner. -
Eli Chen/WUNCWorsening heat from climate change is becoming increasingly hazardous to human health. WUNC explains in a comic informed by several experts how we physically respond when we're feeling too hot, what ways people become sick and die from the heat, and how we can prepare ourselves to better handle extremely hot days. -
Gerry Broome/APWorkers who labor on farms and construction sites experience extreme heat frequently in the workplace, but there are also service workers who face extreme heat.
The National Weather Service maintains daily heat advisories. Use the map below to see warnings in your area