Working in extreme heat

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules AO 1-2025 Division 2 - (c) The shade must be located as close as practical to the areas where employees are working. - (d) Shade present during meal periods must be large enough to accommodate the number of employees on the meal period that remain onsite. - (e) If trees or other vegetation are used to provide shade, such as in orchards or forests, the thickness and shape of the shaded area must provide sufficient shadow to protect employees. - Exception: When the employer can demonstrate that providing access to shade is not safe or it interferes with the ability of employers and employees to complete the necessary work in a particular situation, for example, during high winds or when an employee is walking through range land, employers must identify and implement alternative cooling measures that provide equivalent protection such as providing cooling vests (either with fans or ice packs), water-dampened cotton clothing, or similar effective measures. The Heat Illness Prevention Plan under section (8) must include the use, care, and maintenance of the alternative cooling methods, in writing. - (4) Drinking water. Ensure that a sufficient supply of drinking water is immediately and readily available to exposed employees at all times, at no cost, when the heat index in the work area equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. - (a) Supplied drinking water must be either cool or cold, see subsection (2)(b). - (b) Supply each employee with enough drinking water to enable them to consume up to 32 ounces per hour. Employers are not required to supply the entire quantity of drinking water needed for all employees on a full shift at the beginning of the shift. Employers may begin the shift with smaller quantities of drinking water when effective procedures are established to replenish the water consumed during the shift. - (c) Employees must have ample opportunity to drink water required under this…

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules AO 1-2025 Division 2 - (b) The employer's procedures for complying with the requirements of this standard, including, but not limited to, the employer's responsibility to provide water, heat index information (including the risks to experiencing a heat-related illness), shade, preventative rest breaks, and access to first aid, as well as how employees can exercise their rights under this standard without fear of retaliation; - (c) The importance of frequent consumption of small quantities of water, up to 32 ounces per hour, when the work environment is hot and employees are likely to be sweating more than usual in the performance of their duties; - (d) The concept, importance, and methods of the acclimatization plan pursuant to the employer's procedures under section (8); - (e) The different types of heat illness, the common signs and symptoms of heat illness, and the appropriate first aid and emergency response to the different types of heat illness, including how heat illness may progress quickly from mild signs and symptoms to a serious and life-threatening condition; - (f) The importance for employees to immediately report to the employer, directly or through the employee's supervisor, signs and symptoms of heat illness in themselves or in others; and - (g) The effects of nonoccupational factors (drugs, alcohol, obesity, etc.) on tolerance to occupational heat stress. - (10) Training documentation. Verify compliance with section (9) by preparing and maintaining written or electronic training records that can be provided to Oregon OSHA upon request. Such records must contain the name or identification of each employee trained, the date(s) of the training, and the name of the person who conducted the training. The most recent annual training record for each affected employee must be maintained. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 654.025(2), 654.035 & 656.726(4) Statutes Implemented: O…

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J Division 2 AO 1-2025 Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (C) Employees who work from home are subject only to the training requirements in sections (9) and (10). - (2) Definitions. - (a) Acclimatization - Temporary adaptation of the body to work in the heat that occurs gradually when a person is exposed to it. Acclimatization peaks in most people within seven to fourteen days of regular work for at least two hours per day in the heat. This time frame applies to fit individuals with no underlying medical conditions. - (b) Drinking water - Potable water that is suitable to drink and that is cool (66 °F -77 °F) or cold (35 °F -65 °F). - (c) Heat Illnesses - Medical conditions resulting from the body's inability to cope with a particular heat load, and includes heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, and heat stroke. - (d) Shade - Blockage of direct sunlight is shade. One indicator that blockage is sufficient is when objects do not cast a shadow in the area of blocked sunlight. Shade is not sufficient when heat in the area of shade defeats the purpose of shade, which is to allow the body to cool. For example, a car sitting in the sun does not provide acceptable shade to a person inside it, unless the car is running with working air conditioning. Shade may be provided by any natural or artificial means that does not expose employees to unsafe or unhealthy conditions, and that does not deter or discourage access or use. - (e) Temperature-controlled environment -an indoor setting where the temperature is maintained with a mechanical cooling system. - (3) Access to shade. Establish and maintain one or more shade areas that are immediately and readily available to exposed employees that are outdoors when the heat index in the work area equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The shade areas must meet the following criteria: - (a) The shade area must either be open to the outside air (at least three open sides) or provide m…

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J Division 2 AO 1-2025 Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (8) Heat illness prevention plan. Develop, implement, and maintain an effective heat illness prevention plan in writing. The plan must be made available at the worksite to employees and to Oregon OSHA upon request. The plan must contain at least the following information: - (a) How employees will be trained on the hazards of heat exposure and the necessary steps to prevent heat-related illnesses; - (b) How to recognize the symptoms of dehydration, and how to respond to suspected heat-related illnesses in others; - (c) How sufficient amounts of cool, potable water in work areas will be provided; - (d) How employees will be provided frequent opportunities and encouragement to stay hydrated by drinking water; - (e) How employees will be provided sufficient space to rest in a shaded area or cool climate-controlled area, and where heat-affected employees may cool off and recover when signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses are recognized; - (f) How the employer will implement the heat illness prevention rest break schedule when necessary to keep employees safe; and - (g) How the employer will implement heat acclimatization procedures for new employees or employees returning to work from extended absences of seven or more days. - (9) Supervisor and employee training. Provide heat illness prevention training to all employees, including new employees, supervisory and non-supervisory employees in a language and vocabulary readily understood, and in a manner that facilitates employee feedback. Such training must be provided annually before employees begin work that should reasonably be anticipated to expose them to the risk of heat illness, and include at least the following: - (a) The environmental and personal risk factors (for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, kidney disease, obesity, etc.) for heat illness that may limit an individual's toler…

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## Extremes of temperature 23 (1) Where an employee is exposed to work condi -tions that may present a hazard because of excessive heat, an employer shall ensure that a competent person instructs the employee in the significance of symptoms of heat stress such as heat exhaustion, dehydration, heat cramps, prickly heat and heat stroke and in the precau -tions to be taken to avoid injury from heat stress. 23 (2) Where an employee is exposed to work condi -tions that may present a hazard because of excessive cold, an employer shall ensure that a competent person instructs the employee in the significance of symptoms of cold stress such as severe shivering, pain in the ex -tremities of the body and reduced mental awareness and in the precautions to be taken to avoid injury from cold stress. ## Threshold Limit Values for Formaldehyde and Lead Sulfide Repealed: 2022-27 2001-33; 2022-27 ## Threshold limit value for formaldehyde Repealed: 2022-27 2022-27 23.1 Repealed: 2022-27 2001-33; 2022-27 ## Air Contaminants and Industrial Ventilation 2022-27; 2022-79 ## Air contaminants - level of concentration 2022-79 24 (1) An employer shall ensure that an air contami -nant is kept at a level of concentration that does not con -stitute a hazard to the health or safety of an employee ex -posed to it and, if an occupational exposure limit exists in respect of an air contaminant, that the exposure of the employee to the air contaminant at no time exceeds the occupational exposure limit. Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biolo -gical Exposure Indices ». 2001-33; 2022-27 ## Températures extrêmes 23 (1) Lorsque les conditions de travail d'un salarié peuvent l'exposer au danger de chaleur excessive, l'em -ployeur doit s'assurer que le salarié reçoit les instruc -tions d'une personne compétente sur la signification des symptômes de stress dû à la chaleur tels que l'épuise -ment dû à …

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## Temperature ## Temperature - 21 (1) Subject to subsection (2), an employer shall en -sure that the temperature of a work area in an enclosed place of employment is maintained as follows: - (a) where light work is performed while sitting, such as any mental work, precision work, reading or writing, the minimum temperature required is 20 °C; - (b) where light physical work is performed while sitting, such as electric machine sewing or work with small machine tools, the minimum temperature re -quired is 18 °C; - (c) where light or moderate physical work is per -formed while standing, such as machine tool work, assembly work or trimming, the minimum tempera -ture required is 16 °C; and - (d) where heavy physical work is performed while standing, such as drilling or manual work with heavy tools, the minimum temperature required is 12 °C. - 21 (2) If is not practical to heat a work area to the tem -perature required by subsection (1), an employer shall provide a suitable place where the employee may go to get warmed. 2022-27 ## Extremes of Temperature ## Extremes of temperature - 22 Where an employee is exposed to work conditions that may present a hazard because of extreme heat or ex -treme cold, an employer shall ensure that - (a) a competent person measures and records the thermal conditions at frequent intervals and makes the findings available to a committee, if any, and to an of -ficer on request, and - (b) the occupational exposure limits for protection against heat stress and cold stress are followed as well as the work-rest regimen for heat, the work-warming regimen for cold and other advice found in the AC -GIH publication entitled '2016 Threshold Limit Val -ues for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices'. 2001-33; 2022-27 ## Température ## Température - 21 (1) Sous réserve du paragraphe (2), l'employeur doit s'assurer que la température de l'aire de travail dan…

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J Division 2 AO 1-2025 Oregon Administrative Rules Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - (a) Communication must occur in a language and vocabulary readily understood by all employees, by voice, electronic, or other equally-effective means, so that employees at the worksite can contact a supervisor at any time, when necessary. An electronic device, such as a cell phone, may be used for this purpose only if reception in the area is constant and reliable. - (b) Implement one or more of the following to promptly identify any employee suspected of experiencing heat-related illness: - (A) Regular communication with employees working alone, such as by radio, cellular phone, or other alternative means; - (B) Create a mandatory buddy system; or - (C) Implement other equally-effective means of observation or communication. - (c) Designate and equip one or more employees at each worksite as authorized to call for emergency medical services, and allow other employees to call for emergency services when designated employees are not immediately available; such a practice supplements existing requirement to ensure that emergency medical care is immediately available in all workplaces, as required by OAR [redacted phone](4), 29 CFR 1910.50, or OAR [redacted phone]. - (d) When employees work in buildings and structures that do not have a mechanical ventilation system, employers must: - (A) Directly measure the temperature and humidity in these places at the same time and location when occupied by employees to determine the current indoor heat index; - (B) Use the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Heat Safety Tool app to determine the heat index outside of the building or structure and assume that it is the same inside (See section 2 in Appendix A: Mandatory Information for Heat Illness Prevention); or - (C) If the structure is designed or otherwise known to be affected by outdoor humidity, for example, hoop houses and greenhouses in nurs…

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Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division Oregon Administrative Rules AO 1-2025 Division 2 ## Appendix A to [redacted phone] - Mandatory Information for Heat Illness Prevention To protect the health and safety of employees from heat-related illnesses, employers should consider using the resources in this appendix. Please note that some resources may use temperatures in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. To convert to degrees Fahrenheit, use this formula: Fahrenheit (°F) = (Celsius x 1.8) + 32 - 1. Most heat-related illnesses affect workers who do strenuous physical activity. When workers engage in intense work, their bodies create heat. This "metabolic" heat combines with environmental heat (from temperature, sunlight, humidity, etc.) so workers' core temperature can rise to dangerous levels. To prevent a hazardous combination of environmental and metabolic heat, employers should be aware of workers' activity level. Workload can be classified as rest, light, moderate, heavy, or very heavy. - · Light: Sitting or standing with minimal arm and leg work. - · Moderate: Continuous modest intensity, such as light pushing/pulling or normal walking. - · Heavy: Intense upper body work such as carrying loads or sawing. - · Very heavy: Intense activity at an almost maximum pace.