According to a report from Ogletree Deakins, just in time for the hotter weather of spring and summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a new national emphasis program on April 8 to help prevent heat-related illnesses.
The program, CPL 03-00-024, entitled “Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards,” was announced by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh together with Vice President Kamala Harris at a union training center in Philadelphia.
The most important part of the program is that it targets specific industries and activities, such as working outdoors in areas announced by the National Weather Service to be undergoing a heat wave, or working indoors near radiant heat sources, such as foundries.
Changes in Inspection Procedures
Programmed Inspections
Under the program, OSHA will conduct, in certain outdoor and indoor workplaces, programmed inspections on any day for which the National Weather Service has announced a heat warning or advisory in the local area. Those workplaces will be industries named in Appendix A to the program; examples include construction sites, petroleum production facilities, chemical factories, glass factories, iron and steel mills, bakeries, cattle ranches, some farms and skilled nursing facilities.
To read the full report from attorney Arthur Sapper, click here.