Urge OSHA to quickly finalize the first-ever federal safety standard to help protect workers from extreme heat.
Too many workers spend strenuous days in extreme heat without enough water or cool places to rest. That’s why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed its first-ever extreme heat safety standard to protect workers.
OSHA is now seeking public comments – this is our chance to tell them to quickly finalize a strong heat safety standard and save lives.
Federal data suggests that in an average year, about 40 workers die and nearly 3,400 others miss at least one day of work from heat-related causes. And these numbers “are likely vast underestimates” according to OSHA.
OSHA’s proposal would require employers to provide basic and common sense services on hot days: water, cool places to rest, and training and education on how to keep workers safe. Though the proposal is a good place to start, OSHA needs to hear from us that we want a strong heat standard with requirements like mandatory, rather than encouraged, breaks.
The current proposal would protect about 36 million outdoor and indoor workers – do your part to help workers survive extreme heat.