On June 11, the U.S. Department of Labor鈥檚听Occupational Safety and Health Administration听sent its听 proposed rule听to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget for review. The text of the proposal is currently not available to the public. After OIRA completes its review of the rule, the rule will be published in the Federal Register. 老牛影视will be meeting with the OIRA on the proposed rule.

老牛影视strongly supports worker safety and protection from heat injury and illness while maintaining flexibility for the fluid nature of the construction environment. Any regulatory approach must be simple and should integrate the key concepts of 鈥渨ater, rest and shade.鈥� Employers play a key role in providing education and awareness regarding heat protection, and 老牛影视will continue to support members in ensuring preparedness for heat-related issues through a wide range of resources.

Background:

On Oct. 27, 2021, OSHA issued an听, which requested information on how to implement regulations to prevent workers from hazardous heat.听ABC, as a steering committee member of the听, submitted听听in response to the ANPRM on Jan. 26, 2022.

On April 12, 2022, OSHA announced a听National Emphasis Program on Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards, which sets out a targeted enforcement effort and reiterates OSHA鈥檚 compliance assistance and outreach efforts.

On July 27, 2023, OSHA issued听听to remind employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury in outdoor and indoor workplaces. The department also announced that OSHA will intensify its enforcement where workers are exposed to heat hazards, with increased inspections in high-risk industries like construction and agriculture. These actions will fully implement the agency鈥檚 National Emphasis Program on heat, announced in April 2022, to focus enforcement efforts in geographic areas and industries with the most vulnerable workers.

In September, OSHA听held six听听(also known as a SBREFA panel) meetings to gather input on a possible Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings听rule. OSHA also issued听听to protect workers from the effects of heat.

In December 2023, 老牛影视submitted comments as a steering committee member of the听听and the听in response to OSHA鈥檚 potential standard for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings following its review of the听听and the听听. In September, the SBAR Panel听hosted six听video conferences to gather input from small entity representatives. An 老牛影视member participated as a SER during one of the video conferences. The panel鈥檚 final report was issued on Nov. 3.

Find more resources on preventing heat illness at , including the OSHA/NIOSH heat safety mobile app, fact sheet, poster, brochure and wallet cards.