U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched a program to help protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries.
Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joined Vice President Kamala Harris to announce the first-ever National Emphasis Program to protect workers from indoor and outdoor heat hazards, an April 12 release reported. The three-year average of workplace deaths caused by heat has reportedly doubled since the early 1990s.
“These extreme heat hazards aren’t limited to outdoor occupations, the seasons or geography,” Walsh said in the release. “From farmworkers in California to construction workers in Texas and warehouse workers in Pennsylvania, heat illness – exacerbated by our climate’s rising temperatures – presents a growing hazard for millions of workers.”
The program will empower workers with knowledge of their rights to speak up about their safety without fear of retaliation, the release reported. He expressed gratitude for the vice president’s leadership on the issue and her commitment to keeping workers safe on the job.
“Our goal is to make it safe for workers in hot indoor and outdoor environments, so that they can return home safe and healthy at the end of each day,” Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker said, according to the release. “Working together, we can ensure workers know their rights and employers meet their obligations in order to protect workers from the growing dangers of extreme heat.”
