Activists push for OSHA federal heat standard

July 27th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff

Hot, potentially dangerous temperatures are a fact of life in many areas of the U.S. during the summer months. A broad group of activists believes the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration hasn't done enough to address worker safety in such conditions and is leading a push for a more uniform and enforceable standard related to workers exposed to extreme heat. A broad organization of more than 130 individual groups, ranging from workers' rights advocates to universities, according to legal news source, sent a petition to the federal health and safety regulator that included potential tactics to address such issues.

Hot summer temperatures can lead to serious complications for workers.

Increased awareness around dangers of extreme heat for workers

Heat has always been a potentially serious issue for workers, especially those who spend significant amounts of time outdoors or in spaces without climate control. However, the issue has grown more acute as recorded temperatures have increased in recent years. Business & Legal Resources said projections for future increases in summer high temperatures, showing potential figures through the year 2100, were an important consideration for the coalition. So was the presence of heat-related worker safety regulations in a few states.

"The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a component of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that provides research-based evidence to support OSHA's regulatory mission, explained it is generally estimated that two in 1,000 workers are at risk of heat stress," the petitioners said in their written statement to OSHA, according to BLR. "This suggests that approximately 260,000 workers outside of California, Washington and Minnesota are at risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths with no standard in place to protect them."

BLR provided the reminder that NIOSH has pushed for a heat rule in the past, with the first such request dating back to 1972. Further recommendations provided a similar suggestion in 1986 and 2016. Although an OSHA advisory committee agreed with the determination made in 1972, no concrete action was taken. Although OSHA offers guidance about preventing heat illnesses and injuries and its General Duty Clause can be cited in extreme cases, its high standards make it difficult to employ on a regular basis.

For its part, OSHA has recently sent out reminders to businesses about the need to keep workers safe from extreme heat. According to Safety+Health Magazine, the federal regulator advised employers to consider implementing protections for workers when the heat index reaches 85 degrees, a significant decrease from the previous threshold of 91 degrees for protecting against moderate occupational health risks. Research conducted along with NIOSH found 12 of 25 cases of heat-related illness, injury and death selected for in-depth review occurred at temperatures below 91 degrees.

In the short term, businesses should take this OSHA advice to heart, reviewing and changing heat protection efforts as necessary.