osha
Newsletter
Credit: lisa runnels/Pixabay
Biden's heat protection rule leaves public sector workers at risk
A loophole in a 1972 law prevents about 7.9 million public-sector workers from receiving OSHA's proposed heat protections.
In short:
- Congress passed a law in 1972 excluding public workers from OSHA protections, leaving millions vulnerable to workplace injuries and heat-related risks.
- OSHA's new heat rule mandates private employers provide water and rest breaks, but public workers in 23 states remain unprotected.
- Public-sector workers have nearly double the injury rate of private-sector workers, highlighting the need for comprehensive safety regulations.
Key quote:
"If they aren’t covered by OSHA, they have no right to a safe workplace. If someone gets hurt or killed, there is no investigation, no citation, no lessons learned."
— Jordan Barab, former OSHA deputy assistant secretary
Why this matters:
The exclusion of public workers from OSHA protections can result in higher injury rates and potential fatalities, especially in extreme heat. Ensuring all workers are protected can prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries.
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Credit: wal_172619/Pixabay
Heat rules for workers face election challenge
The Biden administration is moving closer to finalizing a heat protection standard for workers, but the upcoming election could jeopardize its implementation.
In short:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has submitted a proposal for a national heat stress rule to the White House for review.
- The rule may mandate employer and worker training, acclimatization procedures and heat illness prevention programs starting at an 80°F heat index.
- Political and legal challenges, especially if Trump wins the presidency, could prevent the rule from being finalized.
Key quote:
“When it’s hot outside, it feels even hotter within the warehouses, because of all the machinery. If it’s like 110 outside, then it’s like 10 more degrees inside.”
— Victor Ramirez, former Walmart warehouse worker.
Why this matters:
Extreme heat poses a significant danger to workers, especially those in outdoor or poorly ventilated indoor environments. Heat stress causing a range of illnesses, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be fatal. Beyond immediate health risks, chronic exposure to extreme heat can exacerbate existing conditions like cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
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Photo by Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa on Unsplash
As summers grow hotter, OSHA appears ready to protect workers
Many in the construction and agriculture sectors oppose a mandate to protect workers from heat, but research shows it would help them, too.
Newsletter
Photo by John Middelkoop on Unsplash
Birth of an OSHA policy
With terrorism in mind, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration created a policy to oversee companies that clean up and build anew after disasters. Decades later, it’s failing to protect workers who respond to climate-fueled catastrophes.
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Workers exposed to extreme heat have few protections
Tens of millions of Americans are struggling to cope with soaring temperatures. OSHA is developing new workplace safety standards, but they are not yet complete.
Florida utility is fined $500,000 for 2017 explosion that killed 5
Tampa Electric Company pleaded guilty in May to “willfully” violating an OSHA rule that required workers to receive a pre-job briefing about the work they were to perform.
Extreme heat puts workers in danger. A new report calls for action
For more than a decade, advocates have pushed OSHA to protect workers from heat-related injuries and death.
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