If finalized, new rules announced by the Labor Department would require employers to develop a plan to prevent heat-related injuries and take proactive safety measure if employees are regularly exposed to a heat index or “feels like” temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (80°F) or higher.
Job site training and a plan to acclimate new workers to hot conditions are also required if the heat index tops 80°F. If the heat index at a work site exceeds 90°F, then paid rest breaks for 15 minutes every two hours become mandatory, and employers must actively monitor for heat exhaustion.
Heat index is the “feels like” temperature relative to humidity, and employees primarily working inside air-conditioned spaces or taking brief trips outside are not subject to the proposed rules. Instead, the proposed workplace standards focus on employees who are engaged in activities that could raise their core body temperature, according to the senior administration official.
My workplace (manufacturing) has air conditioning, technically, but it has been busted for the last two years. It regularly gets over 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, and last year, we had several people pass out. Supposedly, management has signed off on getting the air conditioning repaired, but only because it has been causing machines to overheat and malfunction.
If this plan passes, it would make summer conditions inside manufacturing plants like mine safer and more bearable for workers.
