The New Mexico Environment Department has proposed delaying the process to create and adopt rules aimed at protecting workers from heat-related illness and injuries to early 2027. State environment officials first proposed the rulemaking in early 2025 and floated the possibility of requiring employers to provide rest periods, shaded areas and drinking water in hot conditions. “Regardless of whether a job is in the field or the classroom, heat has the same impacts on the human body. All workers need protections,” Healthy Climate New Mexico Senior Program Consultant Shelley Mann-Lev said in a statement. “Federal worker heat safety standards stalled under Trump.