Be Part of the Ultimate Safety & Compliance Community
Trending news, knowledge-building content, and more – all personalized to you!
Yes. In fact, effective April 8, 2022 to April 7, 2025, under an agency National Emphasis Program (NEP), OSHA compliance officers must proactively initiate inspections in any of the over 70 listed, high-risk industries (including the Warehousing and Storage Industry) in outdoor and indoor work settings when the National Weather Service issues a heat warning or advisory for a local area. Inspectors will review illness logs and other records, interview workers, determine if the employer has a heat illness program, document ambient conditions, and identify work activities relevant to heat-related hazards.
If there is sufficient evidence to issue a citation for heat-related hazards, a citation under Section 5(a)(1) (or General Duty Clause) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act will be issued. Suggested abatement measures will likely appear in the citation, and several steps to materially reduce or eliminate worker exposure to heat-related hazards are listed in the NEP.
Also under the NEP, no matter the industry, establishments that were previously inspected as a result of a heat-related fatality and were issued citations should expect a follow-up inspection. Any heat-related fatalities, complaints, or referrals will get high-priority inspections. In addition, OSHA will engage in outreach on days when the heat index is 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, here’s an example of an actual heat-related enforcement case. An OSHA inspector found that a warehouse’s heat stress prevention program did not effectively ensure safe working conditions for all employees. The company was cited under the General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act) for exposing employees to recognized hazards of exposure to excessive heat. According to the citation, among other methods, one feasible and acceptable abatement method to correct this hazard is to create a heat stress program which includes, but is not limited to, the following: