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Read. Follow. Verify.Maryland Senate Bill 804 Establishes Heat Stress Standards and Prevention Plans for Employers
Last action · February 12, 2026: Hearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.Sponsor: Pam Beidle
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 804 requires employers in Maryland whose employees work in temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit to develop excessive heat-related illness prevention plans, provide drinking water and shade, implement protocols, and conduct annual training starting October 1, 2026.
Workers exposed to high temperatures gain legally mandated rights to free drinking water, accessible shade, and emergency medical response procedures, while employers face new compliance obligations for temperature monitoring and employee training.
- Maryland Occupational Safety and Health operates under the Department of Labor to set and enforce workplace safety regulations across the state. context
- Senator Beidle represents Maryland's 32nd legislative district in Anne Arundel County. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Employers with exposed workers
Employers must develop written prevention and acclimatization plans, monitor temperatures, provide drinking water and shade, implement high-heat procedures, conduct training, and maintain records.
Employees exposed to occupational heat
Employees gain rights to free drinking water, accessible shaded areas, acclimatization periods, rest breaks during high-heat conditions, safety training, and emergency response procedures.
General contractors
Persons or contractors with actual control over a multi-employer worksite bear responsibility for compliance with worksite requirements.
Key Facts
- Applies to employers with employees working in indoor or outdoor conditions where temperatures reach at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Exempts emergency operations, incidental exposures under 15 minutes per hour, climate-controlled spaces below 80 degrees, and temporary equipment failure emergencies where employers take prompt remedial action.
- Requires employers to develop, implement, and maintain a written excessive heat-related illness prevention plan accessible to employees and the Commissioner.
- Mandates that employers provide at least 32 ounces of drinking water per hour per exposed employee at no cost and as close to the work area as practicable.
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- Requires employers to monitor workplace temperature and humidity directly or via local weather data, and provide adequately sized shaded rest areas or equivalent alternative cooling measures.
- Requires high-heat procedures, including adjusted work and rest schedules and direct employee observation or a buddy system, when temperatures reach at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mandates acclimatization plans for newly exposed employees or those returning from an absence of 7 consecutive days.
- Requires employers to provide initial heat stress training before a worker's first exposure to heat, retrain employees annually, and maintain training records for 1 year.
- Makes general contractors or persons with actual control over a multi-employer worksite responsible for compliance with section requirements.
- Takes effect October 1, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which employers must comply with these heat stress standards?
What are the specific requirements for drinking water under the bill?
When do high-heat procedures take effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 12, 2026SenateHearing 3/11 at 1:00 p.m.
- Feb 6, 2026SenateIntroducedFirst Reading Finance
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Occupational Heat Safety
The legislation repeals previous temporary advisory mandates and replaces them with strict, comprehensive statutory requirements for temperature monitoring, shade, water, and acclimatization.
Connected Entities
Sources
mgaleg.maryland.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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