U.S. Labor Department Aims to Protect Workers from Heat-related Illnesses

Occupational Safety and Health Administration launches national outreach campaign On April, 26, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced a national outreach initiative by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration to educate workers and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps to prevent heat-related illnesses. Heat can be a real danger for workers in jobs ranging from agriculture and landscaping to construction, road repair, airport baggage handling and even car sales. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) data, 230 heat-related deaths have occurred from 2003 – 2009 with 81 (40%) of these fatalities in the construction industry.  Over that same time period, 15,370 heat-related injuries/illnesses requiring days away from work have occurred with 4,110 (27%) of these injuries/illnesses in the construction industry. OSHA has developed heat illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a curriculum to be used for workplace training. Additionally, a new Web page provides information and resources on heat illness – including how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency – for workers and employers. Federal OSHA has worked closely with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to adapt materials from that state's successful outreach campaign on heat illness for use in this national effort. In addition, OSHA is now partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on weather service alerts that will incorporate worker safety precautions when heat alerts are issued across the U.S. NOAA also will include pertinent worker safety information on its Heat Watch Web page at http://www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php. For more information, contact Kevin Cannon at cannonk@agc.org.