Prepare now for (potentially) new heat illness regulations from OSHA.

Rising temperatures aren’t just a sign of summer—they’re a serious workplace safety concern. With hotter summer days ahead, businesses should take precautions for the risks of heat exposure. New federal heat standard regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) may impact your business if your employees work outside in industries such as construction, maritime, and agriculture or indoors in high-temperature environments like restaurants, manufacturing, and warehouses. Paying attention to the proposed regulation will allow you to prepare for stricter standards and enforcement of heat safety protocols. Now is the time to proactively evaluate your employee heat policy to prepare for possible changes or updates.

In this post, you will learn:

• About the dangers of heat-related illnesses
• How heat-related incidents are enforced
• What newly proposed regulations are being considered
• What you can do to prepare your company and employees

What Are Heat-Related Illnesses?

Heat-related illnesses can be minor, like heat rash, or life-threatening, like heat stroke. Other common heat-related conditions include heat cramps, heat syncope (fainting), and heat exhaustion. In many cases, symptoms can develop quickly and multiple heat-related conditions can overlap. Employees and supervisors should be trained to recognize signs and symptoms to respond quickly with appropriate first aid.

‍

Current Enforcement Falls Under General Duty Clause
Without having a specific standard in place, environmental heat injuries and illnesses are currently enforced under OSHA’s General Duty Clause, an all-encompassing regulation that requires employers to provide employees with a safe, hazard-free workplace. To prove a violation, OSHA must demonstrate:

1. The employer failed to protect workers from a recognized hazard.
2. The hazard was likely to cause death or serious injury.
3. The employer neglected to implement reasonable measures to eliminate or reduce the risk.

Newly Proposed Regulation to Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses
In late August 2024, OSHA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) titled "Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings," intending to establish a federal heat standard that would apply to all employers to prevent heat-related workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Creating a federal standard would help ensure that heat-related incidents do not go underreported.

Key parts of the proposed plan include:

• Monitoring Heat Conditions – Employers would be responsible for assessing workplace heat conditions daily, especially when the heat index reaches or exceeds 80°F, including measuring environmental factors such as temperature and humidity to evaluate potential heat hazards.
• Access to Preventive Measures – Employers would be required to provide essential resources that workers need to prevent heat-related illnesses, like access to water, rest, and shade.
• Training and Education – Employers would be required to educate workers on recognizing heat-related illness symptoms and understanding preventive measures to help employees identify and respond to heat stress effectively.
• Emergency Response Procedures – Employers would be required to have clear protocols for responding to heat-related emergencies and have plans in place to address situations where workers exhibit symptoms of heat illness.

Heat Index Categories & Worker Acclimatization
The proposed legislation emphasizes the importance of acclimatization periods for new or returning employees. The National Weather Service categorizes heat index levels as:

• Caution (80-90°F) – Increased risk of heat-related illness
• Extreme Caution (91-103°F) – Heat stress becomes more likely
• Danger (103-125°F) – Heat stroke is possible
• Extreme Danger (126°F and higher) – Heat stroke is highly likely

‍

Working in conditions with a heat index of 80°F or higher can quickly lead to heat stress for employees not properly acclimatized to the environment, especially if they are performing strenuous work. By adopting more stringent standards, OSHA aims to hold employers accountable for heat-related safety violations by clarifying standards and penalties for those who fail to take preventative measures to ensure workplace safety.

‍

How to Prepare for Stricter OSHA Heat Standards

Evaluate Your Current Heat Safety Plan
Even though these new standards face an uphill battle through the legislative process, taking time to proactively evaluate your company’s heat work policy (or to create one) will benefit your workers and your business. By ensuring that they have all the proper safety protocols in place and training regarding working in extreme heat conditions, you can be ready for stricter enforcement of heat-safety standards while at the same time demonstrating to your employees that you care about their working environment and personal well-being.

Stay Informed of Proposed Changes
Keeping up with proposed regulatory changes is essential to ensuring your organization remains compliant. Understanding these updates allows you to strategically adjust your policies, procedures, and safety plans to meet any new requirements before enforcement begins. Staying informed not only helps you avoid potential penalties, but also enhances workplace safety and preparedness.

Implement Heat Safety Training for Employees
Educating your supervisors and employees thoroughly on the first signs and symptoms of heat distress can be life-saving. In addition to resources available at www.osha.gov, heat safety training is available to Syndeo clients through our self-service learning management platform. We can help you tailor employee training to address safety issues specific to your workplace environment, identify any environmental heat factors, and recognize early signs of heat-related distress.

‍

How Syndeo Can Help

Staying compliant with evolving workplace safety regulations can be overwhelming for busy employers and managers. That’s where Syndeo comes in. Our Risk Management team provides strategic guidance to help prevent temperature-related workplace injuries and illnesses. We stay informed about new legislation affecting your workers and business so you don’t have to. Contact your HR Business Partner or our Risk Management team today to ensure compliance and protect your workforce from heat-related risks!

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to our newsletter for more thought-provoking HR content from Syndeo. To learn more about how outsourced HR services can get you back to business, contact Syndeo today!

‍