Under a proposed rule unveiled last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive indoor or outdoor temperatures. “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention” calls for employers to evaluate risks and—when increasing temperatures raise worker exposure—implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks and control of indoor heat. It also requires them to provide training, have procedures to respond if a worker is experiencing signs and symptoms of a heat-related illness, and take immediate action to help a worker experiencing signs or symptoms of a heat emergency. If finalized, OSHA officials contend, the proposed rule would help protect approximately 36 million workers in indoor or outdoor settings and substantially reduce workplace heat injuries, illnesses and deaths.
“Workers all over the country are passing out, suffering heat stroke and dying from heat exposure from just doing their jobs. Something must be done to protect them,” says Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker, adding that Heat Injury and Illness Prevention “is an important next step in the process to receive public input to craft a ‘win-win’ final rule that protects workers while being practical and workable for employers.”
As the proposed rule enters public comment period and review, OSHA will direct existing outreach and enforcement resources to educate employers and workers and hold businesses accountable for Occupational Safety and Health Act general duty clause violation and other applicable regulations. The agency continues to conduct heat-related inspections under its National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards. Launched in 2022, it entails inspection of workplaces with the highest exposures to heat-related hazards. Over the past two years, the program has seen OSHA book more than 5,000 federal heat-related inspections.