The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued new guidelines to safeguard employees from heat-related hazards following record-breaking heat in 2021, the department announced in a news release.
The proposed guidelines were issued Oct. 27 as part of the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to promote worker safety.
“The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced it will be publishing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings," Recycling Today said on Twitter.
OSHA currently lacks specific standards defining what constitutes a hazardous temperature situation, and these guidelines serve as a starting point for addressing heat-related laws.
In 2021 the nation experienced record-breaking heat, endangering the lives of millions of employees in both outdoor and interior workplaces that lack adequate climate control, according to the news release.
People of color are disproportionately exposed to potentially hazardous temperatures at work, and high temperatures are the main contributor of workplace deaths among all weather-related occupational hazards.
The advance notice of proposed rulemaking is currently accepting comments through Dec. 27, in order to gain a better understanding of workplace temperature concerns.
