Comments on OSHA's Proposed Heat Rule Due Dec. 30

The official version of OSHA’s new proposed rule, Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings, was published in the Federal Register on Friday. An unofficial version of the regulatory text was made available in July, but the publication of the official document opens the public comment period, which will close Dec. 30, 2024. OSHA welcomes all written comments from stakeholders, including feedback on issues specifically identified in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), such as health effects, risk assessment, proposed requirements, and technological feasibility. The agency has compiled its questions about these issues in a document available as a PDF from OSHA’s webpage on the heat rulemaking.

OSHA expects that if the rule is finalized, it will cover approximately 36 million workers, or about a third of all full-time workers in the U.S. Provisions of the proposed rule would require affected employers to develop and implement site-specific heat injury and illness prevention plans as well as plans to acclimatize new or returning workers who may be unaccustomed to working in high-heat conditions. The proposed rule also addresses requirements for drinking water, rest breaks, and control of indoor heat.

OSHA anticipates that it will hold a public hearing after the written comment period closes on Dec. 30. Details about the hearing will be published later.

An overview of OSHA’s NPRM is available from the Department of Labor’s YouTube channel. Learn more about OSHA’s heat rulemaking and how to comment by visiting the agency’s website.

Related: Articles published in The Synergist in April 2016 and April 2020 discuss protecting workers in hot environments and critical factors for heat stress assessment and prevention, respectively. An article published in the June/July 2022 issue of the magazine focuses on reducing heat burden from personal protective equipment and other factors.