In a memorandum to Regional Administrators, OSHA establishes an enforcement initiative to prevent and protect employees from serious heat-related illnesses and deaths while working in hazardous hot indoor or outdoor environments. It expands on the agency’s ongoing heat-related illness prevention campaign by setting forth the enforcement component and reiterating its compliance assistance and outreach efforts. The initiative prioritizes heat-related interventions and inspections of work activities on days when the HEAT INDEX EXCEEDS 80℉. Employers will be encouraged to implement proactive interventions, such as water, rest, and shade, and other important preventive measures such as acclimatization of new or returning workers.
During heat-related inspections, CSHOs should:
- Review OSHA 300 Logs for any entries indicating heat-related illness(es),
- Review injury and illness reports and obtain any records of emergency room visits and/or ambulance transport, even if hospitalizations did not occur,
- Interview workers for reports of headache, dizziness, fainting, dehydration, or other symptoms that may indicate heat-related illnesses,
- Review employer’s plan to address heat exposure, including acclimatization procedures (especially for new and returning workers), work-rest schedules, access to shade and water (with electrolytes when needed), and any training records associated with implementing a heat illness prevention program,
- Document, where possible, the heat index on the OSHA-NIOSH Heat App, using the screen save feature on a mobile phone or tablet,
- Identify conditions and activities relevant to heat-related hazards. These can include, but are not limited to:
- Potential sources of heat-related illnesses (e.g., working in direct sunlight, a hot vehicle, or areas with hot air, near a gas engine, furnace, boiler or steam lines),
- WBGT calculations and/or other temperature measurements,
- Heat advisories, warnings or alerts,
- The use of heavy or bulky clothing or equipment,
- The types of activities performed by the employees and whether those activities can be categorized as moderate, heavy or very heavy work,
- The length of time in which a worker is continuously or repeatedly performing moderate to strenuous activities,
- Heat-related illnesses among new workers,
- The presence of any recent vacation time or breaks in employment prior to complaints of heat-related symptoms, and
- The availability of rest breaks, water and shade on site.
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