Viewpoint: Protecting North Dakota workers from heat is a hot topic

To the editor,

In most of the nation, all you need to do is to step outside to feel one of North Dakota’s deadliest hazards: extreme heat.

So far in 2024, the dangers of heat illness have killed 34 workers. In July, the U.S. Department of Labor announced publication of a proposed rule to reduce the significant health risks for workers exposed to hazardous heat in outdoor and indoor settings.

As heat sets new records across the nation, the risks people face on the job are rising. Dozens of workers needlessly lose their lives and thousands more suffer illnesses related to hazards that, sadly, are most often preventable.

As OSHA moves through the regulatory process to develop a new regulation that keeps workers safe from the dangers of heat, the agency will use its authority to hold employers responsible when they fail to protect workers. It includes OSHA’s power to stop employers from exposing workers to imminent workplace dangers.

Since 2022, the agency has conducted heat-related inspections under its

National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards

. The program allows OSHA to proactively inspect workplaces where heat-related hazards are common to prevent workers’ needless injuries, illnesses or deaths. Since it began, the program has led to more than 7,000 federal heat-related inspections, including 85 inspections in North Dakota in 2023-2024.

OSHA is making inspections a priority in agricultural industries where temporary, non-immigrant H-2A workers are employed seasonally. These workers can be especially vulnerable, often with language barriers, less control over living and working conditions and lack of time to acclimatize to the heat.

Federal law requires employers to protect people from all workplace dangers, including heat exposure. When heat is a concern, employers must — at a minimum — provide adequate cool water, rest breaks and shade or a cool rest area. New employees or those returning to a high-heat workplace should get time to gradually get used to working in heat.

As we celebrate Labor Day, let’s remember that these protections must be applied equally. A safe workplace is every worker’s right, regardless of color, language, socio-economic status or gender. Nobody should have to risk their safety, health or life at work. Workers deserve to return home at the end of their shift in the same condition they began it.

Scott Overson
OSHA area director for North Dakota