Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

Washington enforcing summertime heat and wildfire protection rules

Posted by Jon Elliott on Mon, Jul 18, 2022

This summer is again bringing record-breaking heat to parts of North America. It's time to remember that outdoor work in the summer sun can lead to heat illness, as can indoor work in spaces that aren’t sufficiently insulated or cooled. It’s also time to consider the possible impacts of local or regional wildfires on workplace air quality. Washington state provides useful benchmarks for these considerations, through rules administered every summer by the Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I’s) Division of Occupational Safety and Health. The remainder of this note summarizes those requirements.

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Tags: Wildfire, Heat Wave, Heat, Be Heat Smart, heat illness, Washington

OSHA begins work-related heat illness rulemaking

Posted by Jon Elliott on Mon, Nov 15, 2021

On October 27, the US federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published an “advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM)”, as the first step toward national heat illness prevention rules. This action is the agency’s second recent step to define and combat these hazards – several states already administer such rules. OSHA’s first step was to release new “Inspection Guidance for Heat-Related Hazards” on September 1 (I wrote about it HERE). The remainder of this note summarizes issues raised and questions asked in the ANPRM.

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Tags: OSHA, Heat, Be Heat Smart