Summer Heat OSHA Guidance
More than six inches of snow fell at our location in May, but heat summer heat is around the corner. If not already here in my places around the country. In preparation for the coming heat, OSHA released a National Emphasis Program on managing heat stress in workers. It must first be noted that (federal) OSHA does not have a specific standard to address heat stress, so heat stress hazards are cited under the “General Duty” clause of the OSHAct (Some “State Plan” states such as California do have heat stress specific standards with more specific requirements).
The NEP includes a list of targeted non-construction and construction related industries in which workers are more likely to be exposed to heat hazards as Appendix A. If your industry is among those listed below, it would be good to review the OSHA resources on the control of heat stress. Among these resources is the NIOSH Heat Safety App for smart phones.
You can access the list of past OSHA citations for heat stress at in the last decade here.
The data indicate that there have been no citations issued for heat stress by (federal) OSHA since 2014. With this most recent NEP, that is likely to change. It should be noted that the OSHA database is not instantaneously updated, so records of additional inspections for heat stress may not appear for some months.
The “non-construction” list includes the following:
1121 Cattle Ranching and Farming
1151 Support Activities for Crop Production
2131 Support Activities for Mining
3118 Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing
3211 Sawmills and Wood Preservation
3241 Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing
3251 Basic Chemical Manufacturing
3272 Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing
3311 Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing
3314 Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing
3315 Foundries
3323 Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing
3329 Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
3361 Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
3362 Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing
3363 Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing
3364 Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing
3365 Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing Appendix
366 Ship and Boat Building
3369 Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
3371 Household and Institutional Furniture and Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturing
4239 Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers
4241 Paper and Paper Product Merchant Wholesalers
4242 Drugs and Druggists’ Sundries Merchant Wholesalers
4243 Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers
4244 Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers
4245 Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers
4246 Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers
4247 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers
4248 Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers
4249 Miscellaneous Nondurable Goods Merchant Wholesalers
4413 Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Stores
4442 Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Stores
4881 Support Activities for Air Transportation
4882 Support Activities for Rail Transportation
4883 Support Activities for Water Transportation
4884 Support Activities for Road Transportation
4889 Other Support Activities for Transportation
4921 Couriers and Express Delivery Services
4922 Local Messengers and Local Delivery
4931 Warehousing and Storage
5311 Lessors of Real Estate
5617 Services to Buildings and Dwellings (includes landscaping services, tree removal and tree trimming services)
5621 Waste Collection
5622 Waste Treatment and Disposal
5629 Remediation and Other Waste Management Services
6231 Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
7211 Traveler Accommodation
8111 Automotive Repair and Maintenance
8113 Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance
8114 Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance
1112 Vegetable and Melon Farming
1113 Fruit and Tree Nut Farming
2213 Water, Sewage and Other Systems (may be State or local jurisdiction)
4411 Automobile Dealers
4412 Other Motor Vehicle Dealers
4821 Rail Transportation (may be Federal jurisdiction)
4885 Freight Transportation Arrangement
4911 Postal Service
5611 Office Administrative Services
5612 Facilities Support Services
5613 Employment Services
5614 Business Support Services
5616 Investigation and Security Services
5619 Other Support Services
6117 Educational Support Services
8112 Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance
9281 National Security and International Affairs (includes Customs and Border Patrol, and Transportation Security Administration)
Construction industries noted in the NEP as likely to have heat-related hazards include the following:
2361 Residential Building Construction
2362 Nonresidential Building Construction
2371 Utility System Construction
2372 Land Subdivision
2373 Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
2379 Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
2381 Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
2382 Building Equipment Contractors
2383 Building Finishing Contractors
2389 Other Specialty Trade Contractors
