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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Belle Glade, Florida, farm labor contractor McNeill Labor Management Inc. in the heatstroke death of a migrant sugar cane farmworker, the agency announced April 15. Because there’s no federal standard for heat exposures or heat illness prevention and the agency cites employers under the General Duty Clause […]
A measure signed into law recently by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that prohibits local workplace standards requiring drinking water and cooling measures increases the risk of worker deaths from heat exposure, according to worker safety advocates. “The bill in Florida threatens to strip millions of workers of fundamental heat protection measures, such as access to […]
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has published the first national voluntary consensus standard addressing heat stress for workers in construction and demolition operations. “This new industry consensus standard is an important development because there is no federal regulation focused on heat stress,” said ASSP President Jim Thornton, CSP, CIH, FASSP, FAIHA, in a […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a heat hazard alert reminding employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury in outdoor and indoor workplaces, the agency announced July 27. OSHA also announced it would intensify enforcement where workers are exposed to heat hazards, focusing on geographic areas and industries […]
It’s July and things are getting hotter, especially for workers. Which makes it especially fitting for the EHSDA Song of the Week to be Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” Coincidentally, the song just celebrated its 40th anniversary, as the U.K. pop trio released it as a single in the summer of 1983 and then on their 1984 […]
On June 22, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) invited small businesses to participate in the development of a federal heat standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers. The agency unveiled plans to hold OSHA Small Business Advocacy Review Panel meetings this summer to gather views on the possible effects of a heat standard […]
Wildfire smoke exposure and heat-related illnesses like heat stroke are recognized occupational health hazards. Are you doing all you can to protect your employees from these summertime risks? While there are no federal standards for heat illness prevention or wildfire smoke exposure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a rulemaking to establish a […]
As we approach summer, businesses need to start thinking about keeping their workers safe in the heat. There are increased legislative efforts to ensure that the proper precautions are in place to protect workers from heat illness. To that end, the EHSDA Song of the Week is Van Halen’s “On Fire,” an electrifying blast of […]
As heat stress increasingly becomes a focus for the federal government, it’s still incumbent upon businesses to understand how to properly protect their workers from the heat. Speaking at the National Safety Council’s 2022 NSC Safety Congress & Expo in San Diego last month, two experts detailed heat stress prevention strategies, staff education and training, […]
Will you be ready when an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspector shows up at your facility or worksite for a heat-related illness inspection? Have you thought about how you would comply with a new federal heat stress standard? On September 20, the White House and OSHA announced new steps to address worker exposures […]