Colorado H.B. 26-1272 Would Require New Heat and Cold Stress Protections for Workers
According to Safety+Health Magazine, the Colorado House has passed H.B. 26-1272, a bill aimed at protecting workers from extreme heat and cold, which had moved to the House Appropriations Committee as of press time.
What the Bill Would Require
H.B. 26-1272 would direct the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment to begin collecting data on work-related injuries, illnesses, and emergencies caused by heat or cold stress starting no later than Jan. 1, 2027. By Jan. 1, 2028, the department would also be required to develop a model temperature-related injury and illness prevention plan, referred to as a TRIIPP, and publish it on the department’s website.
This is the second attempt to pass this legislation. An earlier version, H.B. 25-1286, was tabled in March 2025 by the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Sponsors adjusted the new bill in response to that setback. “We heard that last year’s bill was too prescriptive, and we adjusted accordingly,” said Rep. Meg Froelich (D-Greenwood Village), one of the bill’s sponsors, during a March 18 hearing.
Colorado already has heat illness and injury prevention requirements for agricultural workers and is one of seven states with some form of heat regulation, according to Safety+Health Magazine. The others are California, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Track the bill’s progress. H.B. 26-1272 is still moving through the appropriations process. Colorado-based field contractors should monitor its status, as it could eventually require formal temperature safety planning on jobsites.
- Prepare for a TRIIPP framework. If the bill becomes law, a state-developed model prevention plan will be published by Jan. 1, 2028. Subcontractors operating in Colorado should expect to align internal safety programs with that framework once it is released.
- Data collection starts first. The near-term requirement is state-level data gathering on temperature-related incidents. Contractors should ensure their own incident reporting is thorough and accurate, as this data could shape future rulemaking.
- Cold stress is included, not just heat. Unlike some state programs that focus only on heat illness, this bill covers both heat and cold stress, which matters for year-round outdoor work in Colorado’s variable climate.
