The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released a Heat and Health Tracker tool to help people identify and prepare for high heat exposure outdoors. Tools within the program, based on geographic area, include:
- Health Burden: Rates of emergency department visits associated with heat-related illness per 100,000 visits by region.
- Heat Exposure: Heat risk across the U.S., with tabs labeled as “historical,” “current,” “monthly forecast,” and “projected.” The most useful tab is the one for “current” data, where you can select a specific date within the next 7 days to see anticipated heat exposure, displayed by county.
- Heat and Health Index: Likelihood of negative health outcomes from heat based on four categories of risk factors, displayed by zip code.
Tips: If you employ outdoor workers, the 7-day prediction on the Heat Exposure tab could be useful in considering whether to adjust employees’ work schedules or take other steps to protect them from heat illness. Another resource is the OSHA-NIOSH Heat Safety Tool App, which can be downloaded to a mobile device. If you enable location services, the app will display your local heat index and an hourly heat index forecast, and provide tips on symptoms and first aid.
Employers in California, Oregon, and Washington must follow specific heat safety procedures for their states, as explained in our Legal Guide, “Heat Illness Prevention in the Workplace” (6863). Employers in other states, including Arizona, Idaho, and Montana, aren’t subject to specific heat illness procedures, but OSHA’s “general duty clause” requires all employers to take appropriate steps to protect employees from workplace hazards, which includes extreme heat.
We are also tracking OSHA’s proposed regulation, “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings.” The regulation hasn’t yet been published in the Federal Register, but an advance copy and background information are available on OSHA’s heat exposure rulemaking webpage. If you have questions about protecting your workers from heat illness, contact your Vigilant safety professional.
