Public Hearing Set for Landmark Federal Heat Safety Standard
OSHA will hold a public hearing on June 16 to gather input on its proposed federal standard aimed at protecting workers from heat-related injuries and illnesses.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Apr 16, 2025
Heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the United States. Excessive heat in the workplace can cause a number of adverse health effects, including heat stroke and even death, if not treated properly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 479 workers in the U.S. died from exposure to environmental heat from 2011-2022, an average of 40 fatalities per year in that time. Additionally, there were 33,890 estimated work-related heat injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work from 2011-2020, an average of 3,389 per year in that time. However, these statistics for occupational heat-related illnesses, injuries, and fatalities are vast underestimates.
Workers in outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate controls are at risk of hazardous heat exposure. Certain heat-generating processes, machinery, and equipment (e.g., hot tar ovens, furnaces, etc.) can also cause hazardous heat when cooling measures are not in place. Some groups may be more likely to experience adverse health effects from heat, such as pregnant workers, while others are disproportionately exposed to hazardous levels of heat, such as workers of color in essential jobs who are more often employed in work settings with elevated risk of hazardous heat exposure.
Current Status
An informal public hearing on OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule is scheduled to be held virtually and begin on June 16, 2025. To provide oral testimony, documentary evidence, or question witnesses at the hearing, you must submit a Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) on or before May 2, 2025, using this form: https://www.osha.gov/form/heat-rulemaking-hearing-registration. There is no need to submit a NOITA if you only intend to watch the hearing (instructions for viewing the hearing will be posted separately in the coming months).Your input will help us develop a final rule that adequately protects workers, is feasible for employers, and is based on the best available evidence.
On August 30, 2024, OSHA published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. This is a significant step toward a federal heat standard to protect workers. The proposed standard would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has authority. The standard would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace. It would clarify employer obligations and the steps necessary to effectively protect employees from hazardous heat. The ultimate goal is to prevent and reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities caused by exposure to hazardous heat.
The NPRM is available on the Federal Register web page at https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-14824 and at www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. The public comment period for the NPRM closed on January 14, 2025.
For more information on this stage of the rulemaking process, visit https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess#v-nav-tab2.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.