Heat Illness Prevention Plans can Save Workers’ Lives!

Last year, Scientific American reported that extreme heat was the number-one weather-related cause of death in the United States. Boston has already experienced multiple heat emergencies this year and the City is working to protect residents during excessive heat. This work is guided by the Heat Resilience Solutions for Boston framework to prepare for hotter summers and more intense heat events. 

For workers, the impact of excessive heat can be deadly. Every year, dozens of workers die and thousands more become ill while working in hot or humid conditions. From 1992 to 2022, a total of 986 workers across all industry sectors in the United States died from exposure to heat. This represents an average of 34 deaths per year.  In the same period, 334 construction workers lost their lives to heat exposure on the job—meaning that the construction sector accounted for about 34 percent of all occupational heat-related deaths. Black and Brown workers are disproportionately represented in heat-related deaths. A 2019 study found that Black construction workers were on average 51% more likely to die from heat and Mexican-born workers were 91% more likely.

There is increasing consensus that something must be done to ensure that workers can go home to their families alive and well, even on the hottest days. On July 2, 2024 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a proposed rule to protect indoor and outdoor workers from extreme heat. At the same time, some States have already taken action. However, even before the rule is in place, under OSHA employers are still responsible for providing workplaces free of known safety and health hazards. This includes protecting workers from heat-related hazards.  

The good news is that there are easy steps employers can take to prevent heat illness and injury. With an altered work schedule and/or access to clean water and breaks in a cool location, workers can get the reprieve they need to cool down. The opportunity to gradually acclimate to the working conditions allows workers to build up a tolerance for laboring in the heat — a critical process to combat the high rates of heat-related fatalities in the first few days of work. An employer can prevent the harmful consequences of heat stress by training all workers and managers on the signs and symptoms of heat illness and having clear procedures in place to provide aid to workers in crisis.

All of these strategies should be included in a Heat Illness Prevention Plan that includes:

• Procedures for providing sufficient water
• Procedures for providing access to shade
• Plans for work-rest cycles to allow for adequate rest and hydration
• High-heat procedures
• Emergency response procedures
• Acclimatization methods and procedures
• Effective Communications
• Weather Monitoring
• Training 

All workers and supervisors exposed to high temperatures should receive training that includes:

• Health effects of heat stress, heat illnesses signs and symptoms
• Use of a buddy system to help monitor each other
• Emergency procedures
• Personal risk factors
• Your right to stop work if you have symptoms
• Acclimatization and rest-break schedules
• Hydration, electrolytes
• Controls to reduce the risk of heat stress
• How to monitor/measure heat stress risk
• Federal/State requirements/standards

Recently, the Office of Labor Compliance and Worker Protections offered free training on Understanding Heat Illness and Protections for Both Indoor and Outdoor Workers. Employers are encouraged to use the presentation, which can be found here, to conduct their own heat safety training. Visit boston.gov/heat regularly to learn more about the latest strategies for staying cool and to access the most up-to-date resources available in Boston.

For more information on how to keep you and your workers safe in excessive heat,  how to create a Heat Illness Prevention Plan, and resources for worker training, visit osha.gov/heat and download the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences new tool: Building Blocks for a Heat Stress Prevention Training Program.