April 29, 2025 -- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed a groundbreaking national standard to address workplace heat exposure, with significant implications for construction employers. The Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule, introduced in July 2024, aims to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths.
Heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the United States. Excessive heat in the workplace can cause a number of adverse health effects, including heat stroke and even death, if not treated properly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 479 workers in the U.S. died from exposure to environmental heat from 2011-2022, an average of 40 fatalities per year in that time period. Additionally, there were 33,890 estimated work-related heat injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work from 2011-2020, an average of 3,389 per year in that time period. However, these statistics for occupational heat-related illnesses, injuries, and fatalities are likely vast underestimates.
An informal public hearing on OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule is scheduled to be held virtually and begin on June 16, 2025. To provide oral testimony, documentary evidence, or question witnesses at the hearing, you must submit a Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) on or before May 2, 2025, using this form: https://www.osha.gov/form/heat-rulemaking-hearing-registration. There is no need to submit a NOITA if you only intend to watch the hearing (instructions for viewing the hearing will be posted separately in the coming months).
The public comment period closed on January 14, 2025. Public comments are available for viewing in the Heat Injury and Illness Prevention rulemaking docket at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OSHA-2021-0009/comments.
OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on August 30, 2024, and is available for viewing at https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-14824.
Additional information on OSHA's rulemaking process and how stakeholders can participate is available at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess.