And while government agencies such as the Occupational Health and Safety Administration have provided guidance on worker safety issues, there is no official federal requirements protecting employees from extreme heat, GreenBiz reports.
OSHA notes on its website that the number of U.S. workers who have exposure to heat in the work place is in the millions. And “although illness from exposure to heat is preventable, every year, thousands become sick from occupational heat exposure, and some cases are fatal.”
Just three states, Washington, Minnesota, and California, have passed legislation addressing occupational heat exposure, according to OSHA. Companies may not want to wait for further federal guidance as Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, told CNN in early July that the new record temperature highs from last month were likely to be the highest in “at least 100,000 years.”
Last month ranked as the 11th-hottest July in the 129-year climate record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noted in early August. “2023 is also marked by the most billion-dollar disasters for the first seven months of any year since 1980,” scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information said. “Arizona, Florida, Maine and New Mexico had their warmest Julys on record, while an additional 13 states saw their top-10 warmest July on record.”
While public advocacy organizations have been pressuring OSHA to take action on heat illness as far back as President Richard Nixon’s administration, it wouldn’t be until the end of 2021 for the agency to seek comments on a proposed rule to protect indoor and outdoor workers from heat hazards, GreenBiz reports.
Last month, President Joe Biden requested that the U.S. Department of Labor issue the first-ever hazard alert for heat, and for the agency to step up enforcement to safeguard workers from extreme heat. That alert reminds employers that they are required by law to protect their employees from heat illness.OSHA notes on its website that it is working to propose a rule to guard workers from heat illness.
"State laws that attempt to limit workers' access to basic heat-illness prevention measures send a dangerous message that employers are not responsible for providing employees with a safe work environment,” said Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. “In fact, that is simply not the case. Regardless of their job or where in the nation they work, workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. OSHA will use every tool and mechanism at our disposal to enforce those rights and make sure that every employee ends their workday safe and healthy.”
Human Resources can do its part by formulating policies to ensure workers are able to continue to work safely during extreme weather, HR Brew reports. Instead of stopping work completely during extreme heat, employers in construction, warehousing and other such high-risk industries may “try to move shifts, if it can be done, to later times, or rotate more people through,” John Ho, co-chair of the OSHA workplace safety practice at law firm Cozen O’Connor, told HR Brew.
Jose Garza, national environment, health, and safety leader with DPR Construction, notes their staff is already “accustomed to working shifts that avoid peak heat of mid- to late afternoon.”
But the firm, which operates in a number of states, also takes advantage of whatever relief their natural and immediate environment may have, including shifting workers “at different times of day to take advantage of working in shaded areas of the site,” he said.
Remote and hybrid working arrangement can also play a positive role in mitigating potential illness from heat, BBC reports.
“Contemporary work arrangements like remote work, hybrid work, four-day weeks … and six hours a day working days in a week instead of 8 hours are proving to be helpful in heatwave situations,” says Mansoor Soomro, a senior lecturer in sustainability and international business, leadership, management and human resources at Teesside University International Business School, UK. “This cuts down on commuting, which can further drain employees’ energy. Employees can also feel more comfortable in the heat at home thanks to dressing informally.”
Soomro also expects more employers will introduce specific heat-related health and wellbeing initiatives, which could feature workshops on how to manage heat-stress or fitness and nutrition regimens that can help workers prepare their bodies for the drastic shifts in climate.
“Companies are investing in creating heat-resistant working environments which includes sustainable building infrastructure with better air conditioning system,” he said.