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On August 4, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) cautioned employers to protect workers from heat illness. The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings and heat advisories for parts of the state. “Cal/OSHA will be visiting worksites in agriculture, construction, landscaping, and warehousing industries to make sure employers are taking the […]
On March 31, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board announced it will hold a hearing on May 18 regarding a proposed indoor heat illness prevention standard from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). The board will accept public comments until 5 p.m. on May 18. If approved, the proposed standard […]
With the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Outdoor and Indoor Related Hazards being effective as of April 8, 2022, employers are advised to take note of the program’s instructions to avoid “largely preventable” heat-related illnesses. “Despite widespread under-reporting, 43 workers died from heat illness in 2019, and at least […]
Construction work is labor intensive and most often it is done in non-climate-controlled spaces. Studies show that 50% to 70% of most outdoor fatalities occur in the first few days of working in warm or hot environments. With temperatures soaring into the triple digits, construction workers face threats of extreme heat and heat-related illnesses and injuries on […]
Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine heat stress and illness prevention and how to protect workers who work in high temperatures. As summer begins and temperatures rise, EHS leaders and management must protect their workers from the […]
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regional offices in Boston and Dallas have publicly cautioned employers within the past week to protect workers from the hazards of excessive heat. OSHA’s efforts in the past year to address workplace heat hazards have included a national emphasis program (NEP) of outreach, inspection, and enforcement, as well as […]
The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division (Oregon OSHA) recently announced new permanent workplace safety and health standards for heat and wildfire smoke exposures. Oregon rules for heat illness prevention and agricultural labor housing take effect June 15. The wildfire smoke protection standard takes effect July 1. “As we enter what we expect will be […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has plans to move forward with rulemakings addressing heat illness prevention; infectious disease hazards in healthcare and related industries, including COVID-19; and workplace violence in healthcare and social services, according to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) fall 2021 semiannual regulatory agenda, published January 31 (87 Federal Register (FR) […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) September 20 announced “enhanced and expanded efforts” to address worker exposures to excessive heat and heat-related illnesses. The agency will develop a National Emphasis Program (NEP) and workplace heat standards, according to a White House announcement of interagency efforts to address heat hazards. An advance notice of proposed […]
Farmworkers in California remain at risk for heat-related illness despite farms’ compliance with the state’s heat illness prevention program standard, according to research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Around 7% of farmworkers studied were at risk for heat-related illness despite compliance with California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) […]