Virginia will join a growing list of states with workplace heat safety standards that private-sector employers must follow under legislation approved by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).

The bill (SB 288) tasks the state’s Safety and Health Codes Board with creating standards for indoor and outdoor workplaces no later than May 1, 2028, adding Virginia to a handful of states that have dictated heat safety protocols in the absence of a federal standard.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration continued work on developing a national heat safety rule in 2025, but President Donald Trump’s deregulatory goals are likely to yield a more employer-friendly standard than those passed in Democratic-majority states.

Virginia employers will be required to provide water, access to shade, rest periods, acclimatization, and training for working in heat. High-heat procedures would take effect at a temperature threshold to be determined by the board in its rulemaking.

Deciding on an appropriate temperature threshold to trigger protections has been a notable challenge, both in state proposals and OSHA’s federal regulatory efforts.

California, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington state have mandated workplace heat safety standards, while Colorado has imposed a standard specific to agriculture workers.

Virginia regulators previously considered a workplace heat safety proposal but halted the rulemaking process in late 2021, with some board members citing concerns it would conflict or be redundant with the federal regulation that they thought at the time would be implemented soon.

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Gas prices in Virginia are easing slightly, but any relief at the pump may be short-lived.

AAA reports the state average is now $4.01 per gallon, down about four cents from last week. Despite the dip, prices remain significantly higher when compared to recent months, up roughly 65 cents from a month ago and nearly a dollar more than this time last year.

The national average is also elevated, sitting at $4.12 per gallon.

Experts say the primary driver behind the sustained increase is the rising cost of crude oil, fueled in part by ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Even if those pressures begin to ease, analysts warn that drivers should not expect immediate relief.

“The old adage is about gas prices going up they go up like a rocket and then come down like a feather. So they tend to go up very fast in geopolitical crisis like this, but they come down much much slower. So we’re watching and waiting to see what happens there in the Middle East,” said Morgan Dean, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA.

For now, the outlook remains uncertain as global events continue to influence what drivers are paying at the pump.