There has been record setting heat this summer that has been taking a toll on the nation's workers, and the Department of Labor recently issued a hazard alert and upped enforcement in an effort to protect workers around the country from the extreme heat. According to a release by the DOL, employers are mandated by federal law to make sure employees have safe and healthy working conditions during the recent heat,
“Historically high temperatures impact everyone and put our nation’s workers at high risk,” Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su said in the release. “A workplace heat standard has long been a top priority for the Department of Labor, but rulemaking takes time and working people need help now."
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued the heat hazard alert to remind employers of their responsibility to protect workers from heat-related illnesses and injuries in both outdoor and indoor workplaces, the release reported.
"Today, at the President’s request, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a heat hazard alert to make sure employers follow current standards and that workers across the country know their rights," Su added, according to the release. "This action, combined with OSHA’s increased heat-safety enforcement efforts, shows that we are determined to protect the safety and health of millions of people whose jobs become more hazardous in harsh weather.”
OSHA will also enhance its enforcement efforts, which include conducting increased inspections in high-risk industries such as construction and agriculture and implementing the National Emphasis Program on heat announced in April 2022, the release reported.
President Joe Biden's recent actions are aimed at safeguarding workers from extreme heat, as there have been record-breaking temperatures exposing millions of people to heat dangers at work, the release said.
Since 2011, workplace heat exposure led to 436 reported deaths and an annual average of 38 deaths between 2011 and 2019, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, according to the release. Also, around 2,700 cases of heat illnesses annually result in workdays lost, which poses an economic burden on workers and employers.
People working in conditions lacking adequate climate control face higher risks of hazardous heat exposure, with people of color disproportionately affected, the release said.
OSHA continues the rule-making process for a proposed heat-specific workplace standard, and agency is taking immediate measures to protect workers from excessive heat. According to the release, these include developing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards, launching a National Emphasis Program for heat inspections, creating a National Advisory Committee's Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group to address challenges and share best practices and initiating a Heat Illness Prevention campaign to educate employers and workers about heat-related dangers.
