John Bestman
Senior Construction Safety Consultant
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heat stress accounts for more than 700 deaths and thousands of severe, preventable illnesses each year.
That’s why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated and extended its 2022 National Emphasis Program (NEP) on heat hazards for workplaces in the United States. This is not an official OSHA rule but rather updated guidelines to help employers understand how hazardous heat can be and how the agency addresses the problem.
OSHA compliance officers will continue to conduct outreach and compliance assistance programs and expand inspections where there is evidence of heat hazards on either heat priority days or when the heat index is predicted to hit 80 degrees or more. High-risk industries such as construction may be randomly inspected.
The guidelines apply to both outdoor and indoor work environments. In fact, indoor workspaces can become significantly hotter than outdoors. Improper ventilation, working with equipment that generates heat, inadequate or no air conditioning, and trapped solar heat often cause indoor temperatures to easily surpass outdoor conditions. A cool breeze on a hot day can help reduce some of the heat stress on outdoor workers but indoor airflow is generally not going to produce that kind of relief.
In addition, employers should consider individual needs. A single approach is often not adequate to address all of the needs of all the workers. For example, workers with certain health conditions or medications may be at increased risk, so employers should tailor controls to individual needs. That can be as simple as providing certain workers with additional or longer breaks or sharing their duties, so they aren’t always working in a hot environment.
How employers can protect employees from heat injury and illness
- Create a plan to prevent heat-related illness.
- Ensure that the workspace is properly ventilated and insulated.
- Make sure employees are properly hydrated by providing access to cool drinking water.
- Create shaded or air-conditioned areas where they can cool off.
- Schedule rest breaks in those areas.
- Gradually acclimate new employees to the environment.
- Educate employees on symptoms, preventive measures, and emergency response.
- Use a “buddy” system and train supervisors to help identify early signs of heat illness.
- Install an efficient HVAC system designed to handle the size and configuration of the workspace.
- Use portable fans and A/C units, and “evaporative coolers” if necessary to replace or augment the air conditioning.
- Monitor the temperature to identify potential problems.
- Address underlying health conditions that can increase heat sensitivity such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. You should also encourage employees to consult their physician.
Employees can suffer from a wide range of heat-related problems and OSHA has a list of illnesses and symptoms along with first-aid suggestions you should keep handy. In addition, OSHA has partnered with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to develop a heat safety tool app that can be downloaded to your mobile device.
OSHA recommends that you watch for signs of heat illness among your employees. If anyone shows signs of heat stroke—such as confusion, loss of consciousness, or hot/dry skin—call 911 immediately, move them to a cool, shaded area, and begin cooling measures while you’re waiting for help.
Marsh McLennan Agency is here to help
To help you keep your employees safe and reduce the risk of potential OSHA citations, Marsh McLennan Agency has developed the Heat Stress Toolbox Talk resource. This easy-to-use resource tool includes:
- Guidance for talking with employees about heat stress before they’re exposed to hot environments
- Support for maintaining a written safety program that addresses all aspects of heat stress, including OSHA National Emphasis Program requirements
- Information that helps reinforce safe work practices during the summer, ideally a day or two before hot weather is predicted
If you want to learn more about workplace safety and risk management resources that can help protect your employees from heat-related illness, contact your Marsh McLennan Agency representative.
