As Las Vegas experiences a record-breaking hot spell this week, one casino hotel in Sin City was struggling to keep workers cool in the tough conditions.
The area has seen five straight days of heat in excess of 115 degrees. On Sunday, the heat hit its highest recorded level for Las Vegas, reading 119 at the city’s Harry Reid International Airport.
Amid the record temperatures, OYO Las Vegas on Tropicana Avenue has lost air conditioning in several parts of the property. It got to the point that Nevada’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has received more than one complaint from staff about the conditions.
“Nevada OSHA has received several employee complaints and is looking into the situation to validate the allegations and ensure the employer is taking appropriate measures to resolve the issue,” the department’s Terri Williams said in an email to local news outlets.
However, she added that an official investigation could be launched if an adequate response isn’t forthcoming.
Air Conditioning Out
OYO Hotel & Casino is a relatively small-scale operation for Las Vegas. But OYO more widely is one of the world’s largest hotel chains, with more than 43,000 properties. Last week, several people emailed local news outlets, claiming that conditions at the property were bordering on unacceptable because of an air conditioning outage.
Reporters from KVVU TV Las Vegas visited the property, acting on a tip, and found that air conditioning was not on in most of the property. Staff at the front desk were reportedly looking flush in the heat, with only small fans to cool them, and large swamp cooler fans were employed on the casino floor.
Since then, the heat in Las Vegas has only gotten worse, to record-breaking levels. That lead to more complaints from staff, and now OSHA has become involved.
The Heatwave
The current heatwave has smashed one record and equaled several more, beating previous highs set in 1936.
As well as the all-time temperature record already set, the heat could also surpass the 10-day streak of 110 degrees plus days seen in 1962 and in 2023. Even a little respite is not likely to come until the weekend, when highs of 108 are predicted on Sunday.
Cooling stations remain open across the Las Vegas valley area, Clark County said. This year has seen record heat-related workplace complaints in Nevada, with 127 incidents reported to OSHA. That’s up 370% from the numbers at this time in 2023.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
