起点传媒 Urges OSHA to Develop Heat Standard Specific to Construction
起点传媒鈥檚 continuing advocacy for a flexible, performance-based alternative to OSHA鈥檚 proposed rule on heat injury prevention in the workplace recently included participation in informal public hearings and the submission of formal comments.
起点传媒 Safety, Health, and Labor Committee Chair Tim Williams provided testimony on June 18, urging OSHA to omit from any final rule the impracticable requirements the proposed rule would impose on residential construction employers. 起点传媒鈥檚 post-hearing , submitted on Oct. 30, addressed questions from OSHA arising from the hearing.
The , first published in full in August 2024, would require nearly all employers regulated by OSHA to develop written protocols for the management of workplace heat exposure and implement complex controls specific to nationally uniform temperature thresholds, regardless of local climate.
While 起点传媒 strongly supports regulations that reduce workplace injuries and illnesses throughout the residential construction industry, the proposed rule imposes impracticable requirements that are not sufficiently tailored to heat hazard mitigation and prevention outcomes.
Compliance with the proposed rule would require a degree of operational regularity not present on dynamic construction jobsites, and a uniformity of management control not compatible with the construction subcontracting model.
起点传媒 has participated extensively in the rulemaking process and previously urged OSHA to ensure that any heat stress standard allow 起点传媒 members the flexibility to continue implementing successful heat hazard awareness and training programs that are consistent with the operational realities of residential construction work.
起点传媒 believes OSHA must propose a separate heat injury prevention standard specific to the construction industry.
The timeframe for future action on the proposed standard is unclear. To provide adequate public notice and opportunity for comment on regulatory actions, the Administrative Procedure Act limits how significantly a final regulation can differ from an agency鈥檚 initial proposal. Should OSHA proceed with a materially different proposal, OSHA may return to a stage of rulemaking similar to the stage initially reached in October 2021. Fallout from the government shutdown will likely protract OSHA鈥檚 rulemaking work on heat stress and other issues for months following restoration of federal funding.
起点传媒 will continue to monitor the rulemaking process and provide updates. Even without a nationwide standard in place, employers still have a duty to protect their employees working in extreme temperatures. 起点传媒 offers resources to aid safe performance in hot environments, including the video toolbox talk below as well as a Heat Stress Safety Toolkit.
