Audit, Compliance and Risk Blog

This summer is again bringing record-breaking heat to parts of North America. Outdoor work in the summer sun can lead to heat illness, as can indoor work in spaces that aren’t sufficiently insulated or cooled. Since 2008, Washington state has required employer actions to protect employees from extreme heat during summer months, through rules administered by the Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I’s) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (I discussed the pre-2023 rules HERE). Effective July 17, 2023, L&I has updated its Outdoor Heat Exposures rules, revising and expanding the requirements and making them applicable year-round. The remainder of this note summarizes the changing requirements.

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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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