OSHA Proposes Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Regulation

The Occupational and Safety Administration (OSHA) has proposed a Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rule.

The proposed rule requires employers to develop programs to protect their employees from heat hazards in both the outdoor and indoor work environments. The proposed rule would:

• Apply broadly to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work activities in general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture (where OSHA has jurisdiction).
• Be a programmatic standard requiring employers to evaluate their workplaces and implement controls to mitigate employee exposures though engineering and administrative controls, training, effective communication, and other measures.
• Include initial and high heat triggers at the 80- and 90-degree levels, which would require increasingly stringent control measures to protect employees.
• Includes certain exemptions, including short-duration exposures, emergency response activities, and workplaces that are kept below 80 degrees.

The rational and justification, resources, and background materials are available at OSHA’s Heat rulemaking webpage: https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure/rulemaking. The Federal Register notice announcing and explaining the proposed rule consists of 375 pages. See 2024-08-30.pdf (osha.gov)

You may submit comments and attachments electronically at www.regulations.gov, Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009. Follow the instructions online for making electronic submissions. Comments must be submitted by December 30, 2024.