Feeling the heat? You are not alone. The U.S. does not have a federal standard on workplace heat safety–yet. Last week, President Biden announced the “Department of Labor (DOL) to issue the first-ever Hazard Alert for heat, and DOL will also ramp up enforcement to protect workers from extreme heat.” More than 400 workers have died from extreme heat since 2011, and heat is the number one climate-related cause of death. In the U.S., nearly 2,400 heat records have been broken in the past month alone, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY WORKPLACE?
So far, nothing but this White House is investing heavily in climate-related and workplace safety issues. (The federal government is granting $7 million to improve weather forecasts and $152 million for safe drinking water in CA, CO and WA per this announcement.) Biden has asked OSHA to work on a heat standard for all industries and we will let you know when that occurs. In the meantime, the White House has asked DOL to not only issue hazard alerts for heat but to also give employers information on how to protect workers. DOL will beef up enforcement of heat safety violations too, with increased inspections in industries like construction and agriculture.
Worth noting is that worker advocacy groups are pushing for increased safety for climate events, like wild fire air quality and extreme heat.
STAY TUNED
We expect some action on this issue–when and what? It is too hot to think about that. Ahh, you know we will be on this like white on rice so you can stay informed.
Questions? We can help.