The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has extended for five years a National Emphasis Program to address employee exposure to indoor and outdoor heat as states continue to enact their own standards addressing heat exposure.
OSHA added 22 new industries to its list of industries targeted for random inspections, including:
- Manufacturing of metalworking machinery, electrical equipment, furniture, steel, plastic, clay, cement, and certain agricultural products
- General freight trucking
- Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution
- Telecommunications carriers
- Department stores
- Employment services
In the meantime, Virginia is moving to join eight states (California, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) with state-level heat illness standards. Legislation directs the Virginia Safety and Health Codes Board to enact a standard to govern workplace indoor and outdoor heat exposure by May 1, 2028. The bill directs the Board to require employers to develop a standard that follows more prescriptive models with heat illness prevention plans.
Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island are proposing heat illness standards as well. Illinois, for example, is considering the Workplace Extreme Temperature Safety Act, which would direct the state to adopt a formal heat (and cold) illness standard. No such Illinois-specific regulation is currently in effect. New Mexico initiated formal rulemaking through its Occupational Health and Safety Bureau to adopt a comprehensive heat illness prevention rule — with requirements such as written plans, exposure assessments, and training — but the standard is not yet finalized or in effect.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions at 423-764-4127 or at sesco@sescomgt.com