Dive Brief:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration provided more details last week under a proposed rule about problematic heat to require training, mitigation and rest break requirements from a widespread range of industries.
- Preliminary rulemaking called for an employer mandate to create prevention plans, train workers and supervisors, and require 15-minute rest breaks every two hours when temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
- “OSHA estimates that the proposed standard would cost annually $7.8 billion,” the agency said, based on 2023 dollars and a discounted rate. “On average, the annualized cost per establishment is estimated to be $3,085.”
Dive Insight:
Exceptions abound, and smaller businesses would have less-intensive mandates, where employers with 10 employees or less would not need a written prevention plan and could communicate it verbally to workers.
Quick offloading appeared to have no potential change under the proposed federal regulation. The agency suggested that under the potential rule, workplaces would be unaffected in situations in which a driver used an air-conditioned vehicle and was exposed to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for less than 15 minutes in a one-hour period.
OSHA didn’t immediately respond to questions from Trucking Dive. The agency expects over 107,000 general freight and specialized trucking entities would be affected, with average annualized costs at $1,372 or $1,206, based on the type of transportation business.
Comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking must be submitted by Dec. 30.
