OSHA to Develop Heat Standard
Date Posted: September 21, 2021
Posted In: News, Organizations, Workforce,
From ConstructionDive: The White House announced yesterday that OSHA plans to create a federal standard to help prevent a growing and largely under-reported hazard on construction sites: heat-related illness.
The advance notice of proposed rulemaking, set to be released next month, is the first step in the process for developing a workplace heat standard. It will initiate a comment period allowing OSHA to gather diverse perspectives and technical expertise on topics including heat stress thresholds, heat acclimatization planning, exposure monitoring and strategies to protect workers, according to a press release.
Thousands of workers are sickened each year by workplace heat exposure. Despite widespread under-reporting, 43 workers died from heat illness in 2019, and at least 2,410 others suffered serious injuries and illnesses, according to OSHA.
Extreme heat kills more Americans than any other climate-related hazard, and workers’ rights groups and public health officials have long pushed for a federal worker safety rule, according to Politico.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said in the release that increasingly hot outdoor temperatures from climate change are adding to the issue.
“Amid changing climate, the growing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events is increasing the dangers workers face, especially for workers of color who disproportionately work in essential jobs in tough conditions,” he said.
Even regions that are not known for heat waves saw problems with heat-related illness this summer. A construction worker in Oregon died of heat-related illness following a record-setting June heat wave in the Pacific Northwest that saw temperatures soar as high as 116°F.