OSHA’s ‘Beat the Heat’ Contest Seeks to Further Heat Hazard Education, Encourage Action
Stakeholders have until June 9, 2023, to submit a resource or idea.
- By Alex Saurman
- Apr 20, 2023
Exposure to heat has resulted in the illness and death of many workers over the years.
In 2020 alone, 1,940 injuries and illnesses related to environmental heat caused people to miss work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That same year, environmental heat exposure led to the death of 56 workers, up 13 from the year prior. Over eight years (2011 to 2019), 344 workers lost their lives to heat exposure.
As temperatures rise across the country, employers and workers need to prepare–if they haven’t already—for working in the heat.
This can mean taking measures such as teaching workers about heat-illness symptoms, crafting a heat-illness prevention plan and ensuring workers have access to resources like water and shade.
To uncover more resources to further awareness of worker safety and hazards in the heat—whether indoor or outdoor—OSHA launched the “Beat the Heat” contest, the agency announced in a news release yesterday.
For the contest, stakeholders are invited to submit any tools or resources that would contribute to educating workers and employers on heat hazards. In addition to education, the purpose of the contest is to “raise industry and general public awareness of the dangers excessive heat presents to workers and motivate employers and workers to act to prevent heat illness,” per the news release.
A panel comprised of OSHA and other federal agency workers—all of whom have “expertise in relevant subject matter areas”—will judge the entries based on the following, according to the contest’s web page.
“How well does the submission:
- Identify heat as a risk to workers.
- Provide an informative message.
- Utilize a creative communication method.
- Engage with employers, workers, and other stakeholders to work together and form effective communications about the risks of hazardous heat exposure in the workplace.
- Apply effective message and communication strategies that are accessible and easily understood for workers, employers, and other stakeholders.
- Consider geographic locations and industry sectors.”
Award categories include:
- “Most Innovative
- Most Creative
- Strongest Message
- Best Non-English Submission
- Highlighting Indoor Heat Hazards
- Highlighting Young Workers”
Those interested in submitting an entry have until June 9, 2023.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.