Dive Brief:
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The Dallas City Council is fighting over how much input it should have in how construction firms treat their crews.
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A city committee is pushing for an ordinance that would require contractors to allow workers on job sites to take a 15-minute break every four hours. A separate panel is arguing for more education in the industry about the perils of working outdoors in the punishing Texas sun, but stops short of imposing mandatory breaks.
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Austin officials already enforce mandatory breaks on construction sites. In Dallas, city employees get 15-minute breaks every four hours, and outdoor parks crews get a 25-minute break every two to three hours—and they’re required to take it out of the sun.
Dive Insight:
The debate over breaks versus education points to the broader question of how involved the city government should be in dictating jobsite and management practices to the owners of construction firms.
One council member insisted that no local laborers have died from exposure, despite the lack of mandated breaks, and noted that the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration already enforces safety rules on job sites.