by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has launched a new national emphasis program (NEP) to help prevent heat-related illnesses in the workplace. Many U.S. workers are exposed to heat in their workplaces, and thousands become sick every year from occupational heat exposure. Severe heat-related illnesses can result in death. The NEP is intended to reinforce heat safety compliance through increased planned and unplanned inspections of workplaces.
The NEP augments existing compliance efforts by federal and state OSHA agencies. Federal OSHA enforces a General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 that requires employers to provide a workplace free of recognized hazards including exposure to dangerous levels of heat in the work environment. Some states, including Washington, Minnesota, and California, have specific laws governing occupational heat exposure.
The NEP applies when employees are exposed to heat at or above 80 degrees with humidity at or above 40 percent. Under the NEP, OSHA will conduct pre-planned inspections of workplaces in high-risk industries when the National Weather Service has announced a heat warning or advisory in an area. The pre-planned or program inspections will target workplaces such as construction sites, automobile factories, petroleum refineries, chemical factories, glass factories, iron and steel mills, bakeries, cattle ranches, farms, and skilled nursing facilities. Unplanned or nonprogram heat inspections may also be opened during other OSHA reviews or visits if a hazardous heat condition is recorded in an employer’s incident log or if an employee raises a heat-related issue to a compliance officer.
During inspections, compliance officers will assess whether employers:
- Provide accessible, cool drinking water to employees at all times, without cost to the employees;
- Schedule rest and hydration breaks;
- Provide access to shaded areas;
- Schedule job rotation to limit heat exposure;
- Implement a ‘buddy system’ on hot days to provide warning of possible issues;
- Have written heat illness and injury programs and provided employee training on hydration, heat illness signs, and first aid;
- Monitor ambient temperature and levels of work exertion; and
- Provide heat acclimatization for new and returning employees.
For more information on the NEP, see the “Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards” directive at https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/enforcement/directives/CPL_03-00-024.pdf
