In July 2024, the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a proposed rule (the "Proposed Rule" or "Rule") aimed at regulating and mitigating heat-related hazards in the workplace. If enacted, the long-anticipated Rule will have far-reaching impacts on businesses with employees who work in warm climates or who are otherwise exposed to heat-related hazards.
According to OSHA, out of all hazardous weather conditions, heat is the leading cause of death in the U.S. The Proposed Rule seeks to protect employees from hazards associated with high heat in the workplace and would apply to both indoor and outdoor work settings. Among other requirements, the Proposed Rule would mandate that employers evaluate heat-related workplace hazards and implement a Heat Illness and Injury Prevention Plan (HIIPP) to address heat hazards through methods which include rest breaks, shade requirements, the provision of drinking water, acclimatization procedures, heat monitoring, and other tactics to protect workers. The proposed HIIPP requirement takes cues from state-level occupational safety and health agencies — like Cal/OSHA (California) and Oregon OSHA — which have already implemented heat safety and HIIPP requirements.
One provision of the Proposed Rule that has garnered significant attention is the paid rest break provision. As currently drafted, the Proposed Rule would require employers to provide one paid15-minute rest break every two hours on days where the heat index reaches 90° F or higher. The paid rest break provision implicates questions about the concurrent application of the Fair Labor Standards Act. For example, does this 15-minute break period count toward an employee's "hours worked" for the purposes of calculating overtime?
Moreover, in light of the Supreme Court's recent decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo— in which the court overturned the longstanding principle of deference to agency interpretations previously set out under the 1984 Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. case — significant questions remain about whether far-reaching mandates (like the paid rest break provision) are within OSHA's authority. Given this new administrative landscape, if the Proposed Rule is enacted, we can expect challenges stemming from Loper Bright.
The Proposed Rule has not yet been published in the Federal Register. However, when such publication occurs, the Rule will be open to commentary from the public before becoming final. When OSHA announced the Proposed Rule, it simultaneously "encourage[d] the public to participate by submitting comments when the proposed standard is officially published in the Federal Register[,]" in order to "develop a final rule that adequately protects workers, is feasible for employers, and is based on the best available evidence."
For more information regarding how to provide comments on this Proposed Rule, visit https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess#v-nav-tab2.
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