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Heat-Related Injuries and Illnesses
In October, OSHA published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) for a standard on heat injury and illness prevention. The ANPRM includes an overview of occupational heat stress and seeks information from stakeholders that the agency can consider when developing its standard. Select information from the ANPRM appears below. See NewsWatch for more information.
From OSHA’s ANPRM for heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings:
“Heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related phenomena. Excessive heat exacerbates existing health problems like asthma, kidney failure, and heart disease, and can cause heat stroke and even death if not treated properly and promptly. Workers in both outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate-controlled environments are at risk of hazardous heat exposure.”
SOURCES
American Journal of Industrial Medicine: “Characterizing Occupational Heat-Related Mortality in the United States, 2000–2010: An Analysis Using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Database” (February 2015).
Bureau of Labor Statistics: “43 Work-Related Deaths Due to Environmental Heat Exposure in 2019” (September 2021).
Bureau of Labor Statistics: “Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.”
CDC: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, “Heat-Related Deaths Among Crop Workers—United States, 1992–2006” (June 2008).
Federal Register: “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings” (October 2021).
National Public Radio: “Heat Is Killing Workers in the U.S.—And There Are No Federal Rules to Protect Them” (August 2021).
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