Advocacy group calls on OSHA to create heat rules

At least 50,000 injuries and illnesses could be avoided in the U.S. each year with an effective Occupational Safety and Health Administration heat standard, according to a report issued by an advocacy group calling on federal regulators to address the issue.

Austin, Texas-based Public Citizen said OSHA, which in 2022 announced a years-long effort to create rules for employers whose workers are at risk for heat illnesses and death, should create an interim rule that would set temporary guidelines for employers regarding such things as water, breaks and shade requirements.

The report, released May 25, highlights statistics that Public Citizen says makes it imperative for OSHA to set guidelines immediately: Heat exposure is responsible for an average of 2,000 worker fatalities in the U.S. annually, and the dangers of heat stress are overwhelmingly borne by low-income workers, as the lowest-paid 20% of workers suffer five times as many heat-related injuries as the highest-paid 20%.

“Each year without an OSHA heat stress standard puts the health and lives of more workers on the line,” the report states. “The risk of workplace heat stress illness, injury and death is increasing with climate change, and predictions for extreme temperatures and increased heat waves in 2023 and 2024 make the need for a heat standard more urgent than ever.”