Saguaro cactus amid mid-afternoon sun.
An informal, virtual public hearing process has begun for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed rule to establish a federal heat standard in the workplace.
The Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings would apply to all employers to protect indoor and outdoor workers across sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction, such as general industry, construction, agriculture, and maritime, with some exceptions.
It would also require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in the workplace and clarify employer obligations to protect employees from hazardous heat.
Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths, according to OSHA, and climate change is worsening the impact of extreme heat globally.
Ladd Keith, director of the University of Arizona Heat Resilience Initiative, says that heat-related illnesses have increased over the past ten years.
Between 2012 and 2023, more than 4,320 people died from excessive heat exposure in Arizona, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
About 592 of those deaths were reported in Pima County and about 2,717 in Maricopa County.
“Last year, 2024, was actually the first time in that decade where the state was able to curb those deaths slightly,” Keith said.
He credits coordinated efforts by the state government and Governor Katie Hobbs, who declared a heat emergency in 2023, the appointment of a Chief Heat Officer last year, and other proactive efforts.
“Two of our largest metropolitan areas have a certain level of understanding of some of those potential impacts on their labor force, so I think in some ways we’ve been preparing a little bit for this, which is a really positive thing,” Keith said.
In May, Governor Hobbs signed an executive order directing the Industrial Commission of Arizona’s Arizona Division of OSHA to form a Workplace Heat Safety Taskforce that will be charged with drafting and recommending heat guidelines for employers by the end of this year.
Keith is a part of that 18-member task force that’s made up of a wide variety of industry leaders, which will build on the ICA’s Heat Stress State Emphasis Program that was created to reduce heat-related illnesses and injuries in the workplace.
“We’ll be reviewing some guidelines and offering recommendations on what Arizona can do at the state level, regardless of what happens at the federal level to better protect our workforce,” Keith said.
The proposed rule was entered into the Federal Register last August.
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