Proposed Trigger Point for OSHA Heat Stress Rule Gets Hotter

Planned federal mandates to protect indoor and outdoor workers from heat stress would kick in any time the heat index reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit, four degrees higher than a prior proposal, according to an update from OSHA officials.

That possible threshold would apply to employers that depend on weather reports for determining their workplace’s temperature, said Stephen Schayer, director of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Office of Physical Hazards.

Schayer announced the proposed threshold at Wednesday’s meeting of OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The agency has been working on a national heat stress standard ( ...