On November 29, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) extended the deadline for public comment on its heat illness prevention proposal (89 Fed. Reg. 94631). Comments are now due January 14, 2025.
The agency published its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings on August 30, with a 120-day comment period scheduled to end on December 30.
OSHA also announced a public hearing on June 16, 2025, that may continue on subsequent weekdays. Those interested in appearing at the public hearing must submit a Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) on or before May 2, 2025. Those seeking to give presentations longer than 10 minutes or submit documentary evidence at the hearing must submit the full text of their testimony or a copy of any documentary evidence no later than May 23, 2025.
While there are state heat illness prevention standards, there’s no federal standard. OSHA cites workplace heat exposures—often after fatalities or hospitalizations—using its authority under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
OSHA’s proposed rule would require employers to develop and implement heat injury and illness prevention plans (HIIPPs), designate one or more heat safety coordinators, and develop and implement heat acclimatization programs for new employees and those returning from leave.
Program requirements would be triggered by a National Weather Service heat index of 80° Fahrenheit (F) or a WetBulb Globe Temperature equal to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) recommended alert limit (RAL).
Ohio flooring manufacturer faces $255K OSHA fine
Appalachian Wood Floors Inc., a Portsmouth, Ohio, hardwood floor manufacturer operating as Graf Custom Hardwood, faces $255,528 in OSHA penalties following a worker’s partial arm amputation.
The company reported a 23-year-old worker suffered a partial arm amputation while troubleshooting a rip saw machine at the manufacturer’s Charles Street facility. OSHA opened a concurrent inspection at the company’s nearby Campbell Avenue location and cited the employer with eight repeat, two serious, and four other-than-serious violations.
OSHA inspectors found that the company failed to adequately train employees at both locations in lockout/tagout procedures and didn’t mandate the use of lockout/tagout when troubleshooting machines, changing blades, cleaning rollers, and changing colors. Inspectors also found unguarded in-going nip points of chains and sprockets on a tilt hoist and chop saw, multiple electrical safety violations, and a lack of forklift training.
The company has a “long history of federal safety violations,” according to OSHA. Since 2022, five inspections at the company’s Campbell Avenue facility have identified recurring safety violations, leading OSHA to include Appalachian Wood Floors in its Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). The Charles Street facility was cited for machine safety violations in 2022.
“A preventable tragedy has left a young man with a permanent, life-altering injury,” Ken Montgomery, OSHA’s Cincinnati area office director, said in an agency statement.
“Bypassing machine safety procedures puts workers at extreme risk. Appalachian Wood Floors must make worker safety a priority by ensuring proper training, enforcing safety standards, and maintaining machine safety guards to prevent future incidents.”