OSHA Requests Input on Heat Safety Standard

The U.S. Department of Labor is asking small business owners and representatives from local governments entities to join the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for a series of discussions on the potential impacts of a workplace heat standard on small businesses.

Currently, OSHA is developing a potential standard for workplaces in which it would have jurisdiction to prevent heat illness and injury in outdoor and indoor environments, including the construction, maritime, and agriculture industries. As part of the development process, OSHA will host a series of Small Business Advocacy Review Panel meetings to gain input from small business stakeholders on the potential effects of a heat standard.

OSHA’s panel welcomes participants from any industry but is particularly interested in hearing from those in agriculture, construction, landscaping, manufacturing, oil and gas, warehousing, waste management, utilities, and foodservice, specifically in restaurant kitchens. The meetings will be held in teleconferences and will be open to the public.

For more information on these meetings and how you can participate, visit OSHA’s website.