OSHA Calls for Contribution for Worker Safety Rule on Heat-Related Risks
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The US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issues advance notice of proposed regulations for the prevention of heat injuries and illnesses.
Currently OSHA does not have a specific standard for hazardous heat conditions and this action initiates the process of reviewing a heat specific work rule.
The new rule would affect both outdoor and indoor working environments. The agency said heat is the main weather-related hazard in the workplace.
âAlthough heat-related illnesses are largely preventable and generally underreported, thousands of workers get sick each year from heat exposure in the workplace and, in some cases, the Heat exposure can be fatal, âsaid Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick.
The Department of Labor seeks to protect outdoor workers, including agriculture, construction and delivery workers, as well as those who work indoors in warehouses, factories and kitchens. The administration said farm and construction workers are most at risk of heat stroke and other problems.
The development of OSHA rules is part of a larger initiative by the Biden administration to protect workers from hazardous heat.
The administration said it would also expand the government home energy assistance program for low-income people to help beneficiaries buy air conditioning units or pay electricity bills for household assistance. cooling.
Biden’s multi-agency plan seeks to tackle extreme heat stress
The OSHA advisory kicks off a comment period to gather feedback on topics such as heat stress thresholds, heat acclimatization planning, and exposure monitoring. Comments can be submitted at www.regulations.gov,
Source: OSHA
Photo: Pedro Lucas, left, nephew of farm worker Sebastian Francisco Perez, who died last weekend while working in an extreme heat wave, shatters the earth on Thursday, July 1, 2021, near St. Paul, Ore. (AP Photo / Nathan Howard)
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