When it comes to prevention of heat-related dangers in the workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has always had a simple mantra: water, rest and shade. But those guidelines are about to get more complicated as the Biden administration unveils new safety standards, employment lawyers say.
“There’s going to be more emphasis on indoor work, and heat standards are going to be a complex calculus—not just temperature,” said Courtney Malveaux, an employment attorney at Jackson Lewis in Richmond, Va. “Extreme heat has already been a high priority for this administration before last summer, and the heat wave definitely put rocket boosters on the push.”
