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How to Prevent Dangerous Heat-Related Illness and Death on the Jobsite
With summer in full swing and temperatures climbing, consider these questions from OSHA’s Heat National Emphasis Program to help keep your team safe.
4 Min Read
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With the whole of the U.S. firmly in the midst of an unusually hot summer, the temperature is a near-daily topic of conversation. High heat is of particular interest—and concern—to the construction industry, especially for those working outside or in spaces without HVAC.
In response, the Center for Construction Research and Training recently hosted a webinar in partnership with OSHA to address outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards in construction. Gary Orr, health scientist and directorate of enforcement programs for OSHA’s Office of Health Enforcement, provided a brief background on OSHA’s involvement with heat protection programs since 1974 before outlining the most important goals and takeaways from the agency’s current Heat National Emphasis Program, or Heat NEP.
According to Orr’s presentation, the Heat NEP’s three key goals are to:
Reduce or eliminate worker exposure to heat hazards.
Target industries and worksites where employees are exposed to heat-related hazards and are not provided cool water, rest, cool shaded areas, training and/or acclimatization.
Be more proactive.
Launched in 2022, OSHA’s Heat NEP is designed to protect employees in high-hazard industries from indoor and outdoor-related hazards, making it especially relevant to those in the construction trades. Specifically, it adds an enforcement component to OSHA’s long-running compliance assistance campaign to target industries that face high-heat hazards.
Since April 2022, according to Orr’s most recent data at the time of the webinar, there have been more than 1,800 Heat NEP federal inspections, with 47% of those being on construction jobsites. Many of the jobsites did have measures and plans in place to help workers beat the heat, including cool water and shaded areas for rest. If any compliance issues are discovered during such inspections, citations or hazard alert letters are issued and a follow-up inspection must be scheduled. The inspector is also directed to offer compliance assistance while still on site, to help improve working conditions as soon as possible.
“We have been trying to work on various tools to help workers understand some of the problems with heat,” Orr said, “but also provide compliance officers information to give to employers as well.”
When OSHA inspections are warranted
The Heat NEP lays out two major inspection and assistance triggers, according to Orr:
On heat priority days—when the heat index is expected to be 80 degrees F or higher—certified safety and health officials are directed by the Heat NEP guidelines to inquire about heat-related hazard prevention programs. The heat index, according to the National Weather Service, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature. The Heat NEP prioritizes in-person response for complaints and for all employer-reported hospitalizations and fatalities related to heat hazards and provides compliance assistance where needed.
On any day the National Weather Service announces a heat advisory or warning for the local area, the Heat NEP conducts programmed inspections at worksites in targeted industries. The inspection scope may be expanded if additional heat hazards are present.
Inspection procedures under the Heat NEP include a combination of observations of weather conditions and heat mitigation efforts on the jobsite, a review of company records related to high-heat incidents (if any), interviews with those on site and a review of the heat illness prevention program in place.
“The two really important things,” Orr said about the Heat NEP, “are the training and making sure that employees and subcontractors know it's about having a conversation.” He emphasized the importance of preparation ahead of high-heat situations on the jobsite and of companies and the agency working together to improve worker safety.
How to make programs effective
To ensure your company’s heat illness prevention program is most effective, here are six questions Orr says to consider:
Is there a written program? As part of the program, are you monitoring ambient temperatures and levels of work exertion at your jobsite? Are there acclimatization procedures in place?
Is there unlimited cool water that is easily accessible to employees?
Do you provide additional water breaks in warmer temperatures?
Are there cool, shaded areas provided for rest breaks?
Do you have work practices, personal protective equipment or other procedures in place to support employees during high-heat days?
Do you provide training to leadership and employees on recognizing, reporting and combating the symptoms of heat-related illness? Do you train supervisors on what to observe and what procedures to follow in an emergency response situation?
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