Last week, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its first proposed heat standard.

The largely anticipated rule aims to implement protections for roughly 36 million indoor and outdoor workers at risk of heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and fatalities associated with extreme heat.

The most broadly applicable requirement in the proposed rule requires subject employers (10 employees or more) to develop a site-specific Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Plan (HIIPP) to deal with heat risks. This plan must include:

• Identifying heat hazards by tracking local forecasts
• Implementing engineering and work practice control measures
• Implementing a heat illness and emergency response plan
• Providing training to employees and supervisors
• Retaining records

The public now has 120 days to provide comments, meaning that a final rule will not be issued before the November general election. 9/3/2024