On July 7, 2020, Tim Barber was working as a laborer at a construction site in upstate New York when he was overcome by heat.
The 35-year-old collapsed and died of heat illness later that day. It was his second day of work. Tim was an accomplished artist who loved country music, the Buffalo Bills, and most of all - his family. His loss leaves a hole in the lives of members of his family and community, but his legacy lives on. Tim didn't have to lose his life to heat illness. This tragedy was preventable.
On average, approximately 3,500 workers become sick from occupational heat exposure every year and dozens of cases are fatal. Heat is the leading cause of death among all weather-related phenomena. Heat illnesses - such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion - can affect anyone, regardless of age or physical condition. Workers in agriculture and construction are at the highest risk, but the problem affects all workers exposed to heat, including indoor workers without adequate climate-controlled environments.
Workers of color disproportionately make up the population of employees in essential jobs who are exposed to high levels of heat, which exacerbates socioeconomic and racial inequalities in the U.S.
Protecting workers from heat-related hazards is a top priority for OSHA. The agency is taking several actions to prevent and reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities caused by exposure to heat so that the avoidable tragedy the Barber family experienced doesn't have to happen to another family.
OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention campaign, launched in 2011, educates employers and workers on the dangers of working in the heat. The campaign provides several educational resources and outreach materials to protect workers from heat, including a poster, work pamphlet, audio and video public service announcements, infographics and a video remembering Tim Barber. These resources also include topics on heat-related illness prevention, such as acclimatization, first aid, emergency response and workers' rights.
On October 27, 2021, OSHA published in the Federal Register an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. The ANPRM initiated a public comment period allowing OSHA to gather information, diverse perspectives and offer technical expertise on issues that might be considered in developing a heat-specific workplace standard that would more effectively protect workers from hazardous heat. There were more than 100 questions to which OSHA sought input, including topics on the scope of a potential standard, heat stress thresholds for workers across industries, heat acclimatization planning, heat exposure monitoring and engineering controls. The comment period closed in January 2022 and OSHA is analyzing more than 1,000 comments.
In April 2022, OSHA launched the National Emphasis Program (NEP) on Outdoor and Indoor Heat Hazards to protect workers from the increasing threat of heat-related illness. The NEP establishes a nationwide enforcement mechanism for the agency to proactively inspect workplaces for outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards in general industry, maritime, construction and agriculture.
As a result, OSHA can now conduct pre-planned inspections in targeted high-risk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings when the National Weather Service has issued a heat warning or advisory for a local area. The NEP encourages employers to protect workers from heat hazards by providing access to water, rest, shade and training, and implementing acclimatization procedures for new or returning employees. The NEP combines enforcement, outreach and technical compliance assistance components to help keep workers safe from heat-related hazards on the job.
As part of OSHA's rule-making and outreach efforts to protect workers and communities from extreme heat, the agency established a Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH). The Work Group will evaluate OSHA's heat illness and prevention guidance materials and stakeholder input, and develop recommendations on potential elements of a proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard. The Work Group's recommendations will be submitted to the full NACOSH committee and the Secretary of Labor.
On May 3, 2022, OSHA hosted a public stakeholder meeting on the agency's activities to protect workers from heat-related hazards. More than 2,000 attendees joined the meeting, which featured dozens of public commenters and presentations from OSHA staff on the Heat Illness Prevention Campaign, compliance assistance activities, enforcement efforts and the rule-making process.
No one should lose their life from excessive heat conditions while on the job. Every worker deserves to go home safe and unharmed at the end of every shift. OSHA is taking several steps to prevent heat illness, but we cannot do it alone. Working together with businesses, government and non-government entities, unions and community organizations, the agency can ensure workers know their rights and employers meet their obligations to protect workers from the growing dangers of extreme heat.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov/heat or call (800) 321-6742.
