Las Vegas — Nevada OSHA is now enforcing its regulation aimed at protecting indoor and outdoor workers from excessive heat.
Adopted in November by the state’s Division of Industrial Relations and effective April 29, R131-24AP requires employers with at least 10 workers to conduct a one-time job hazard analysis to identify work conditions that could cause a heat-related illness. The analysis is limited to job classifications in which a majority of workers are exposed to excessive heat for more than 30 minutes of any 60-minute work period.
If conditions that could cause a heat-related illness are identified, a written safety plan must be developed and include provisions for:
- Potable water
- A rest break when an employee shows signs or symptoms of a heat-related illness
- Means of cooling for workers
- Monitoring (by an employer-appointed person) for working conditions that could cause a heat-related illness
- Worker training
- Emergency response procedures
- Identification and mitigation of work that generates additional heat or humidity
Worker training must cover how to recognize heat hazards and understand procedures to minimize heat-related illnesses. Covered employers must also designate a person to contact emergency medical services should an employee experience symptoms.
The regulation doesn’t apply to employees in climate-controlled environments, including work vehicles. However, if a climate-control system is nonfunctional or ineffective, employers must implement measures to address heat hazards and make a “good-faith effort” to reestablish an effective climate-control system.
“This regulation is the culmination of four years of discussion and engagement with various stakeholders to develop a framework that works for Nevada’s workers and employers,” DIR Administrator Victoria Carreon said in a press release after the rule was adopted.
Nevada OSHA operates under federal OSHA’s State Plan program.
