Editorial · June 22, 2023
Workplace Heat Safety: OSHA Steps for Employers
Workplace heat safety comes down to three plain things: water, rest and shade. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists all three as the core steps for any employer whose workers face hot weather or hot rooms. This guide walks through each step as OSHA describes it, so a manager can turn it into a simple checklist.
Why heat is a workplace hazard
OSHA says millions of U.S. workers are exposed to heat on the job. Illness from heat is preventable, yet thousands of workers become sick every year, and some cases are fatal.
Heat is not only an outdoor problem. OSHA names agriculture, construction, landscaping, and mail and package delivery among outdoor work. Indoors, it names bakeries, kitchens, laundries, boiler rooms, foundries and warehouses. Hazardous heat can also show up in any season if the conditions are right, not only during a heat wave.
On April 8, 2022, OSHA began a National Emphasis Program on outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards. It sets out how the agency targets inspections in hot work settings. In October 2021 it also published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on heat injury and illness prevention.
Step one: water
OSHA says employers should provide cool drinking water. It advises that workers drink at least one cup (8 ounces) every 20 minutes while working in the heat, not just when they feel thirsty.
For jobs that last more than two hours, OSHA says to also provide drinks with electrolytes, such as sports drinks. Water alone cannot replace the salts workers lose when they sweat.
Where the water sits matters too. OSHA says it should be near the work, easy to reach, in a familiar spot and in enough supply for the whole job.
Step two: rest
When heat stress is high, OSHA says employers should require breaks. Breaks should get longer and more frequent as the heat rises. As a general rule, OSHA suggests hourly breaks once heat stress passes the limits in its guidance tables.
How long a break should last depends on the heat, how hard the work is and each worker's own risk factors. Breaks should run longer when there is no cool place to rest. OSHA also warns that in hot conditions, skipping breaks is not safe. A good manager makes sure every planned break is taken.
Step three: shade
Workers need a cool place to recover. Outdoors, OSHA says this can be a shady area, an air-conditioned vehicle, a nearby building or tent, or a spot with fans and misting devices.
Indoors, workers should be able to rest in a cool or air-conditioned area, away from heat sources such as ovens and furnaces.
Protect new and returning workers
OSHA says the first days on a hot job are the riskiest. It reports that almost half of heat-related deaths happen on a worker's very first day, and over 70 percent happen in the first week. The body needs time to adapt, which OSHA calls acclimatization.
This applies to more than new hires. OSHA includes workers who come back after a week or more away, workers facing the first warm days of spring or early summer, and everyone on a day that is much hotter than the days before.
For these workers, OSHA suggests shorter shifts, more frequent breaks, plenty of fluids and quick attention to any sign of heat illness.
A short checklist for managers
- Make a plan for hot days before the first one arrives.
- Train supervisors and workers to spot heat illness and give first aid.
- Set up cool water near the work, and electrolyte drinks for jobs over two hours.
- Schedule rest breaks, and make sure workers take them.
- Give workers a shaded or cooled place to recover.
- Use a buddy system, so new workers are never left to work alone.
- Watch new and returning workers closely.
OSHA says heat stroke is the most severe heat illness. Signs include confusion, slurred speech and fainting. Cool the worker right away and call 911.