Inspectors with the Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) will be prioritizing hazards related to heat under a new statewide emphasis program.
The program, which was launched July 17, 2023, will see the state agency “using its overall powers to … ensure that workers have ‘adequate’ access to water, shade and rest,” according to KAWC News.
Arizona has seen temperatures soar into triple digits, prompting ADOSH to launch the emphasis program.
While the state doesn’t have a formal heat standard, it will be using its version of federal OSHA’s General Duty Clause, which requires employers to provide employment that’s free of hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm.
The emphasis program cites U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports from 2015 to 2019 that show “an average of 35 fatalities per year and an average of 2,700 cases with days away from work nationwide” were caused by environmental heat cases.
In many cases, the program states, the “cause of death is often listed as a heart attack when the actual cause or aggravating cause may have been exposure to a heat-related hazard.”
Heat-related illnesses range from heat cramps to heat stroke, which can potentially lead to death.
Inspectors to ensure employee access to water, rest, shade
Trevor Laky, an ADOSH spokesperson, told KAWC that inspectors will be looking to see that employers are providing early interventions to prevent heat illnesses, including:
- water
- rest
- shade
- training, and
- acclimatization procedures for new or returning employees.
This emphasis program applies to both indoor and outdoor workplaces that are considered at high risk of exposing workers to heat-related injuries and illnesses.
