As New York anticipates a potentially scorching summer, the looming threat of soaring temperatures poses significant risks to worker health and safety. Heat stress is an exposure that millions of workers face, yet it doesn’t receive enough attention.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, exposure to environmental heat has killed 999 U.S. workers from 1992 to 2021, with an average of 33 fatalities per year during that period (BLS, 2023a). In 2021, BLS reported 36 work-related deaths due to environmental heat exposure (BLS, 2023a). A recent analysis of BLS data by National Public Radio and Columbia Journalism Investigations found that the three-year average of heat-related fatalities among U.S. workers has doubled since the early 1990s (Shipley et al., 2021). The BLS Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses estimates 33,890 work-related heat injuries and illnesses involving days away from work from 2011 to 2020, averaging 3,389 injuries and illnesses per year during this period (BLS, 2023b).
OSHA does not have a specific standard for working in a hot environment, but under the General Duty Clause, employers have a responsibility to keep employees safe. Additionally, OSHA provides a table of heat indices, advising that a heat index of less than 91 degrees is low risk, 91 to 103 degrees is moderate risk, 103 to 115 degrees is high risk, and over 115 degrees is extreme risk.
Fortunately, OSHA and NIOSH have produced an app named the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool to help implement controls. The app provides real-time weather data, heat index information, precautions to take, a symptom checker, and first aid information for workers suffering from heat strain.
Employers should plan to protect workers and prevent serious heat-related illnesses by:
- Creating a heat illness prevention plan.
- Training workers and supervisors on the conditions that lead to heat stress, recognizing common signs and symptoms, and protecting themselves. Workers should know what to do if a coworker becomes ill from the heat, including when to call a supervisor for help versus calling 911.
- Educating employees on the importance of staying hydrated, limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption in hot weather, and drinking plenty of fluids throughout the workday.
- Providing at least one pint of water per hour for every worker. Water should be in a marked and closed container (e.g., “Drinking Water”), and there should be no sharing of water between employees.
- Encouraging workers to wear breathable cotton clothing and, if working outdoors, to wear protection like sunglasses, hats, and sunscreen.
- Offering regular breaks in a shaded or well-ventilated area.
- Setting up shades or screens to keep workers out of direct sunlight whenever possible and providing fans and evaporative coolers to help prevent heat illness.
- Gradually increasing workloads as workers acclimate to the heat or as new workers start, as 50-70% of fatalities occur in the first few days of working outside during high heat, according to OSHA.
Should you have any questions on this or any other safety topic, please contact our safety specialist Ray Sullivan at raymonds@friedlandergroup.com.
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Resources:
US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) - TED: The Economics Daily - 36 work-related deaths due to environmental heat exposure in 2021