Workers' Compensation: OSHA Proposes a Workplace Heat Standard

OSHA’s proposed new workplace heat standard requires employers to develop a plan to identify and address heat hazards. This plan must include monitoring heat conditions, providing water, and training employees about heat safety. The standard also sets requirements for acclimatization for new and returning employees.

Significance: Heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the U.S., with 479 worker deaths from 2011-2022 due to environmental heat exposure.

Scope: The proposed standard would apply to all employers in general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors under OSHA's jurisdiction, covering both outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate controls.

Key Requirements:
Employers must create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace.
The standard will clarify employer obligations and necessary steps to protect employees from hazardous heat.

Goals:
Prevent and reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities caused by hazardous heat exposure.
Protect vulnerable groups, including pregnant workers and workers of color in essential jobs who are often at higher risk.
Current Status: OSHA is issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which is a significant step toward establishing a federal heat standard.

Public Participation: OSHA encourages public input through comments when the proposed standard is officially published in the Federal Register, to help develop an effective and feasible final rule.

This proposed standard represents an important move towards addressing the serious issue of heat-related workplace injuries and fatalities in the United States.

Proposed Regulatory Text
https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/Heat-NPRM-Final-Reg-Text.pdf

Recommended Citation: Gelman, Jon L., OSHA Proposes a Workplace Heat Standard, www.gelmans.com (07/03/2024) https://workers-compensation.blogspot.com/2024/07/oshas-proposes-workplace-heat-standard.html

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*Jon L. Gelman of Wayne, NJ, is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters). For over five decades, the Law Offices of Jon Gelman 1.973.696.7900
jon@gelmans.com has represented injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational illnesses and diseases.