As Wisconsin bakes in the heat, OSHA works on new standards to protect workers

By CHRIS MEGERIAN, DREW COSTLEY and MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — With heat waves spreading across the western United States, President Joe Biden has unveiled new steps to protect workers, improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible, the White House says.

The new steps come as Wisconsin is expecting a heat wave this week. Heat advisories or watches stretch from Mississippi to Wisconsin and Minnesota. Wisconsin is expected highs around 100 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday.

The heat is a worldwide problem, and scientists calculated that July was the hottest month on record.

Biden’s plans represent an effort to address the immediate effects of climate change as he faces pressure from fellow Democrats and labor groups to do more to safeguard vulnerable populations.

The steps supplement his long-term agenda for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and deploying clean energy technology, policies that may not pay dividends for years to come while global temperatures continue to rise.

Biden is directing the Department of Labor to increase inspections of potentially dangerous workplaces such as farms and construction sites. He also wants heightened enforcement of heat safety violations.

As part of the initiative, the department will issue a hazard alert notifying employers and employees about ways to stay protected from extreme heat, which has killed 436 workers since 2011, according to federal statistics.

The Biden administration plans to spend $7 million to develop more detailed weather predictions to anticipate extreme weather like heat waves, plus $152 million to boost drinking water infrastructure and climate resilience in California, Colorado and Washington.

The Biden administration has taken other steps to adapt to increasing threats from extreme heat. Among those it is highlighting:

• The Department of Labor is developing a standard for how workplaces deal with heat. The proposed rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to provide adequate water and rest breaks to outdoor workers, as well as medical services and training to address signs and symptoms of heat-related illness. OSHA is holding meetings this summer to hear comments on how the heat standard would affect small businesses.
• To keep low-income populations cool, the Department of Health and Human Services expanded its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to provide more access to air conditioning and cooling centers such as libraries, senior centers or other public buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency also has provided assistance to help communities develop cooling centers within schools.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been helping cities and towns map “heat islands” with dense buildings and fewer trees, and the Department of Agriculture issued guidance for creating more tree canopy coverage, which helps with cooling environments.

In addition, the administration launched a website called heat.gov with interactive maps, weather forecasts and tips for keeping cool amid record-breaking heat.

OSHA fact sheets are available for all workplaces HERE.

Fact sheet for employer-provided housing.

OSHA also has an A-to-Z topic page to get all free resources – in Spanish and English – about protecting workers against extreme heat at https://osha.oregon.gov/Pages/topics/heat-stress.aspx.

On the federal level, more than 100 members of Congress, led by Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Sylvia Garcia of Texas and Judy Chu of California have called on the administration to implement the new heat standard for outdoor workers as quickly as possible.

“We know extreme weather events such as heat waves are becoming more frequent and more dangerous due to climate change. Urgent action is needed to prevent more deaths,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter in July.

Douglas Parker, assistant Labor secretary for occupational safety and health, called heat illness prevention a top priority. As OSHA works toward a final rule, the agency is enhancing enforcement efforts “to make sure employers and workers understand the dangers of heat illness and how to prevent it,” Parker said in a statement.

Ladd Keith, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona who studies heat policy and governance, said the record-breaking heat much of the nation is experiencing “is very much in line with climate change projections.” While not surprising, “they’re certainly a continuation of a concerning trend of climate impacts that we’ve seen,” he said.

Despite the recent headlines, rising temperatures have typically not received the same level of attention as other climate risks, such as flooding and wildfires, Keith said.

“Heat has just not been a topic at the national level or local level that we’ve even considered addressing until the last couple of years,” he said.

However, Keith said the administration has ramped up its focus because of searing weather events, such as the heat dome in the Pacific Northwest in 2021 that prompted record temperatures and dozens of deaths across the region.

AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein also contributed to this report.