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News Oct. 27, 2021

OSHA publishes rulemaking to protect workers from heat hazards

Record-breaking heat in the U.S. in 2021 endangered millions of workers exposed to heat illness and injury in indoor and outdoor work environments, according to www.osha.gov. Workers without adequate climate-controlled environments are at risk of hazardous heat exposure, and workers of color are exposed disproportionately to hazardous levels of heat in essential jobs in these work settings.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Oct. 27. Currently, federal OSHA does not have a specific standard for hazardous heat conditions; however, some state plan states, such as California, already have heat-related illness standards in place. This action begins the process to consider a national heat-specific workplace rule. Once published, state plans will have to ensure their rules are at least as effective as the new federal rule.

The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will initiate a comment period to gather diverse perspectives and expertise regarding topics such as heat-stress thresholds, heat-acclimatization planning and exposure monitoring. NRCA will be submitting comments on behalf of its members because this is an issue of significance for the industry.

View the Federal Register notice for submission instructions. Beginning Oct. 27, submit comments at www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, and refer to Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009. All comments must be submitted by Dec. 27.

View President Biden’s statement regarding Mobilizing the Administration to Address Extreme Heat.

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