OSHA Will Issue Federal Heat Standard for U.S. Workplaces 

WASHINGTON — Extreme heat has played a role in worsening health outcomes, especially for minority communities and for construction and farm workers at risk of heat stroke. 

In response to rising temperatures due to climate change, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is set to issue a new rule on heat illness prevention for outdoor and indoor work settings on days when the heat index exceeds 80° F.  

On Monday, the White House announced that OSHA will implement a way to enforce heat-related hazards by developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections, and launching a rule making process for developing the workplace heat standard.  

OSHA’s enforcement initiative will encourage employers to implement intervention methods on heat priority days, such as regularly taking breaks for water, rest, shade, and training workers to identify common symptoms of heat-related illness and have a plan for how to respond.

Each year, thousands of workers experience heat-related illness in the workplaces, and in 2019 at least 2,410 workers suffered serious injuries and illnesses.  

The increase in heat is also leading to a loss in productivity and work hours resulting in wage losses for workers.  

An estimated $100 billion in economic losses from heat could double by 2030 and quintuple by 2050 under higher emissions scenarios, according to a report from the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center.  

Aside from economic losses, the report also finds that extreme heat could cause nearly 60,000 excess deaths per year by 2050. 

Starting October 2021, OSHA will issue an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings. A comment period following the issue of notice will allow OSHA to gather perspectives from technical experts on heat stress thresholds, heat acclimatization planning, exposure monitoring and strategies to protect workers.  

The agency will also establish a national emphasis program for heat hazard cases by 2022 to target high-risk industries and focus on agency resources and staff time on heat inspections.