OSHA conducted a “listening session” in late February 2024 to get worker insight on indoor heat hazards in the restaurant industry.
The event was hosted by Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve working conditions for restaurant workers.
Discussions held at the listening session “highlighted the experiences of restaurant workers with the ways extreme indoor heat affects their health, safety and livelihood,” according to OSHA.
Agency officials focused on OSHA’s desire to address both indoor and outdoor heat hazards. They also discussed prevention methods and ways that OSHA can help empower workers to raise their concerns with employers without fear of retaliation.
Kitchen temperatures can exceed 100 degrees year round
Commercial restaurant kitchens can reach temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit on any given day, which exposes workers to extreme heat and humidity.
One restaurant worker, Jace Eliscu, told session participants that “on a good day, temperatures were around 90 degrees. Luckily, I am trained in first aid and know how important it is to stay hydrated in these situations and how to handle the heat.”
However, Eliscu explained that he has had numerous co-workers who weren’t as fortunate. He’s seen multiple co-workers who became dizzy and had to stop working due to the extreme heat. One of them ended up in the hospital with heat stroke.
‘Heat hazards aren’t limited to outdoor workers during summer’
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jim Frederick attended the event.
“Today’s discussion is a unique opportunity to learn from each other about ways we can address the growing hazard for workers in extreme heat environments,” Frederick said. “It is common to think about heat as a hazard to people who work outdoors in summer months, but it is not limited to outdoor workers. Heat is an indoor and outdoor hazard happening year-round, and we want to make sure employers have the tools they need to protect their workers.”
