This summer is proving to be a hot one across much of the U.S. as heat waves grip many regions with little relief from nighttime cooling. If it seems like it has been getting hotter, there are data to support that premise.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report describing the far-reaching impacts of climate change on people and the environment [1]. The report, which includes historical data and observed trends, uses 39 of 57 key indicators that the EPA follows to keep abreast of the effects of climate change. EPA partners with more than 50 data contributors from various U.S. and international government agencies, academic institutions and other organizations to compile the key indicators of climate change that it monitors. The eight chapters in the lengthy report cover various topics indicating the extensive effects of climate change including: greenhouse gases; rising temperatures; extreme events, such as heavy rainstorms, hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires; water resources; seasonal changes; ocean impacts; rising sea levels; and warming effects specific to Alaska.
Working in extreme heat
Worldwide, 2023 was the warmest year on record and 2014–2023 was the warmest decade on record since thermometer-based observations began, according to the EPA report. And overall, the U.S. is seeing a somewhat higher average rate of temperature rise than the global rate, as concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase. What were once considered “unusually” hot summer days and nights have become more common over the last few decades. Part of the concern about this trend is that extreme heat can have debilitating effects on human health.
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), heat causes more deaths in the U.S. than any other hazardous weather condition. Two of the groups of people at risk are outdoor workers, such as in construction or agriculture, and workers in indoor areas without air conditioning, such as in many manufacturing facilities and warehouses. In addition to environmental temperatures, heat-generating processes and machinery can also put workers at risk.
From 2011 to 2022, 479 workers in the U.S. were reported to have died from environmental heat exposure, and from 2011 to 2020, there were 33,890 estimated work-related heat injuries and illnesses that caused workers to miss time from work. OSHA comments that these statistics are even likely underestimated [2].
OSHA’s proposed rule
OSHA is taking a step toward a federal heat standard to protect workers by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. With the standard, employers would be required to evaluate and create a plan to control heat hazards in the workplace. The public can submit comments about the proposed rule. More information can be found on OSHA’s website [3]. ■
Update note 8/30/2024 — OSHA’s proposed rule is now available in the Federal Register
Dorothy Lozowski, Editorial Director
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate change indicators in the United States (Fifth ed., EPA 430-R-24-003), www.epa.gov/climate-indicators, July 2024.
Environment, Health, Safety & Security
Rising heat concerns
| By Dorothy Lozowski
This summer is proving to be a hot one across much of the U.S. as heat waves grip many regions with little relief from nighttime cooling. If it seems like it has been getting hotter, there are data to support that premise.
Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report describing the far-reaching impacts of climate change on people and the environment [1]. The report, which includes historical data and observed trends, uses 39 of 57 key indicators that the EPA follows to keep abreast of the effects of climate change. EPA partners with more than 50 data contributors from various U.S. and international government agencies, academic institutions and other organizations to compile the key indicators of climate change that it monitors. The eight chapters in the lengthy report cover various topics indicating the extensive effects of climate change including: greenhouse gases; rising temperatures; extreme events, such as heavy rainstorms, hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires; water resources; seasonal changes; ocean impacts; rising sea levels; and warming effects specific to Alaska.
Working in extreme heat
Worldwide, 2023 was the warmest year on record and 2014–2023 was the warmest decade on record since thermometer-based observations began, according to the EPA report. And overall, the U.S. is seeing a somewhat higher average rate of temperature rise than the global rate, as concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase. What were once considered “unusually” hot summer days and nights have become more common over the last few decades. Part of the concern about this trend is that extreme heat can have debilitating effects on human health.
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), heat causes more deaths in the U.S. than any other hazardous weather condition. Two of the groups of people at risk are outdoor workers, such as in construction or agriculture, and workers in indoor areas without air conditioning, such as in many manufacturing facilities and warehouses. In addition to environmental temperatures, heat-generating processes and machinery can also put workers at risk.
From 2011 to 2022, 479 workers in the U.S. were reported to have died from environmental heat exposure, and from 2011 to 2020, there were 33,890 estimated work-related heat injuries and illnesses that caused workers to miss time from work. OSHA comments that these statistics are even likely underestimated [2].
OSHA’s proposed rule
OSHA is taking a step toward a federal heat standard to protect workers by issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. With the standard, employers would be required to evaluate and create a plan to control heat hazards in the workplace. The public can submit comments about the proposed rule. More information can be found on OSHA’s website [3]. ■
Update note 8/30/2024 — OSHA’s proposed rule is now available in the Federal Register
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Climate change indicators in the United States (Fifth ed., EPA 430-R-24-003), www.epa.gov/climate-indicators, July 2024.
2. OSHA, www.osha.gov/heat-exposure/rulemaking
3. www.osha.gov/laws-regs/rulemakingprocess#v-nav-tab2