 It seeks to help up to 36 million Americans who are affected by extreme heat in the workplace. So think of farm workers, delivery workers, landscapers, construction workers. What this rule will do is if the heat index, for example, reaches 80 degrees, it would require employers to provide access to drinking water. They'd have to give breaks to workers so they could be in cool areas with air conditioning, give those workers a way to ease back into work if they've been exposed to extreme heat.