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OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Efforts
OSHA created the Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group of NACOSH to assist that committee in providing recommendations for heat injury and illness prevention. The first goal (Task One) was to evaluate OSHA’s heat illness prevention resources and provide input. The second goal (Task Two) was to assess stakeholder input for the Heat Injury and Illness.
Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), then make rule recommendations for OSHA to consider. The group met five times from February 2022 to April 2023 and submitted recommendations for Task One. These included the following:
- Ensuring that all heat injury and illness documents clearly identify worker rights and employer responsibilities
- Ensuring that all materials and solutions have been technically reviewed and are based on evidence
- Revising any materials with errors or broken links
- Targeting a wide range of workers
- Increasing outreach to temporary and youth workers
- Creating more multi-lingual materials
- Continuing community outreach efforts related to heat issues
- Expanding information for healthcare providers, especially first responders
- Increasing the use of social media and apps for messaging
- Identifying best practices and technology for employers and workers.
Final Thoughts
It will be interesting to see what results from the Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings ANPRM.
In the meantime, if you have concerns about following OSHA guidelines and protecting your workers from the heat, meet with your HR staff to ensure that all policies are current. You can also consult legal counsel. A seasoned OSHA attorney can assist you in being compliant and advise you on new rule proposals.
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