Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings Rulemaking

Public Hearing Information:

The informal public hearing on OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule concluded on July 2, 2025. Individuals who submitted a Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) can participate in the post-hearing comment period, which is open until September 30, 2025. These individuals can file additional evidence and data relevant to the proceeding, including written responses to questions asked during hearing proceedings, as well as final written briefs at regulations.gov.

COMING SOON Official hearing transcripts and a compilation of questions OSHA asked of witnesses during the hearing will be posted in the coming weeks.

Information on the hearing is available below:

OSHA's Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on August 30, 2024, and is available for viewing at https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-14824.

Additional information on OSHA's rulemaking process and how stakeholders can participate is available at https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess.

Heat is the leading cause of death among all hazardous weather conditions in the United States. Excessive heat in the workplace can cause a number of adverse health effects, including heat stroke and even death, if not treated properly. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 479 workers in the U.S. died from exposure to environmental heat from 2011-2022, an average of 40 fatalities per year in that time period. Additionally, there were 33,890 estimated work-related heat injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work from 2011-2020, an average of 3,389 per year in that time period. However, these statistics for occupational heat-related illnesses, injuries, and fatalities are likely vast underestimates.

Workers in outdoor and indoor work settings without adequate climate controls are at risk of hazardous heat exposure. Certain heat-generating processes, machinery, and equipment (e.g., hot tar ovens, furnaces, etc.) can also cause hazardous heat when cooling measures are not in place. Some groups may be more likely to experience adverse health effects from heat, such as pregnant workers, while others are disproportionately exposed to hazardous levels of heat, such as workers of color in essential jobs who are more often employed in work settings with high risk of hazardous heat exposure.

Current Status

The informal public hearing on OSHA’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings proposed rule was held June 16 through July 2, 2025. Archived recordings of the hearing are available in the box at the top of this page. Individuals who submitted a Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) at the informal public hearing can participate in the post-hearing comment period, which is open until September 30, 2025. These individuals can file additional evidence and data relevant to the proceeding, including written responses to questions asked during hearing proceedings, as well as final written briefs.

Comments and attachments can be submitted electronically at www.regulations.gov, Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009. Follow the instructions online for making electronic submissions. Comments must be submitted by September 30, 2025. When submitting comments or recommendations, commenters should explain their rationale and, if possible, provide data and information to support their comments or recommendations.

All comments, including any personal information you provide, will be placed in the public docket without change and, with the exception of copyrighted materials, will be publicly available online at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, OSHA cautions commenters about submitting information they do not want to be made available to the public or submitting materials that contain personal information (either about themselves or others) such as Social Security Numbers and birthdates. All comments and submissions are listed in the www.regulations.gov index; however, some information (e.g., copyrighted material) is not publicly available to read or download through that website. All submissions, including copyrighted material, are available for inspection at the OSHA Docket Office. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at 202-693-2350 (TTY number: 877-889-5627) for assistance in locating docket submissions.

On August 30, 2024, OSHA published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. This is a significant step toward a federal heat standard to protect workers. The proposed standard would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. The standard would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace. It would clarify employer obligations and the steps necessary to effectively protect employees from hazardous heat. The ultimate goal is to prevent and reduce the number of occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities caused by exposure to hazardous heat.

The NPRM is available on the Federal Register web page at https://federalregister.gov/d/2024-14824 and at www.regulations.gov, which is the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. The public comment period for the NPRM closed on January 14, 2025.

For more information on this stage of the rulemaking process, visit https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess#v-nav-tab2.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration