On April 8, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a National Emphasis Program focused on heat hazards. OSHA will be conducting heat-related inspections on “heat” priority days and whenever heat
hazards are observed or reported.
OSHA recently responded to an employee heat complaint at an NHADA member location. More information on OSHA’s heat-related activity can be found at https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure.
How do you determine if your workplace has heat exposure above the OSHA action level? What do NHADA members need to do to comply?
Heat exposure relates to more than just temperature. Heat-related hazards are a combination of the heat index and activity level. (The heat index, also known as the apparent temperature, is what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature.)
For NHADA members a good rule of thumb is that a technician’s work would be considered Moderate. So based on the Heat Index chart, abatement efforts should begin when temperatures in the shop reach the low-mid 80s.
NHADA Loss Prevention is available to provide assistance with complying with OSHA’s proposed heat standard. If you are not sure if you have an exposure, we have monitors and can do a survey on a hot day to determine if any action levels are reached. Contact Brian Duplessis at bduplessis@nhada.com to get started. The article in this issue “Heat Stress: What Is It And How You Can Keep Your Employees Safe” features more information on how to protect employees from heat stress hazards.
