Overview
- The revised program, which took effect April 10, directs inspections on National Weather Service heat advisories and on days the heat index reaches at least 80 degrees.
- Using 2022–2025 federal data, OSHA kept 33 industries, removed 46, and added 22 for a total of 55, including pig farms, meat and cheese processing, plastics and concrete plants, some steel and machinery shops, department stores, and air transport.
- The directive adds checklists for evaluating heat programs and citation guidance, and it instructs inspectors to verify cool water, shaded rest breaks, acclimatization, training on symptoms, and task scheduling that limits strain.
- With no federal heat standard yet in force, OSHA plans to cite hazards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s general duty clause and related sanitation rules that require access to potable water.
- The update will operate for five years and arrives as several states enforce their own heat rules and Virginia on April 13 directed its labor department to draft protections, which raises the compliance burden for employers that work across states.