OSHA Proposes New Workplace Heat Standard

Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings”. The proposal aims to “protect indoor and outdoor workers from hazardous heat and… [obtain] additional information about the extent and nature of hazardous heat in the workplace and the nature and effectiveness of interventions and controls used to prevent heat-related injury and illness.”

The proposal comes on the heels of last month's Department of Labor (DOL) announcement that it would be launching “…enhanced, expanded measures to protect workers from hazards of extreme heat, indoors and out.” In addition to this proposal, those measures included a target enforcement initiative and development of a national emphasis program.

OSHA will be accepting comments on the proposal through December 27, 2021. NRMCA will continue to monitor OSHA’s actions on heat-related workplace hazards and advocate for beneficial industry outcomes both individually and in coordination with other industry stakeholders.

Click here to review last month’s DOL announcement; here to review President Biden’s remarks on extreme heat and here to review OSHA’s proposal. For more information, contact Kevin Walgenbach at kwalgenbach@nrmca.org.