Fed-OSHA Launches Heat Illness Prevention Campaign

With the tagline, “Water. Rest. Shade. The work can’t get done without them,” the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is launching an outreach campaign “to raise awareness among workers and employers about the hazards of working outdoors in hot weather.”

OSHA launched a webpage for employers and employees devoted to heat illness prevention. There are also training tools and materials for “vulnerable workers with limited reading skills or who do not speak English as a first language,” according to OSHA. OSHA, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, will provide worker safety precautions when extreme heat alerts are issued.

Unlike Cal-OSHA, the federal OSHA does not have a heat illness prevention standard. However, under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, employers may be cited for failing to take steps to protect employees from heat-related illness. Before summer arrives, employers are encouraged to review their policies and practices to ensure they have appropriate protocols in place for preventing and dealing with heat illness.

Western Growers Insurance Services offers heat illness training in English or Spanish in addition to other safety and first aid training.  If you have questions regarding any heat illness issues, would like to schedule heat illness training or to learn more about our safety services, please contact us.