BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Water. Rest. Shade.
That's what the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration preaches to employers for safe working conditions in summer heat.
And it's something a topic that, like the heat, may rise today.
The National Weather Service says the weather in Allentown on Wednesday will be mostly sunny, with a high near 92 — giving us the second day under a heat advisory in effect until 6 a.m. Friday.
The area is expected to face dangerously hot conditions, with temperatures above 90 degrees and heat index values up to 105 in effect through 6 a.m. Friday in southeast Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey.
An excessive heat watch then will continue through Sunday evening.
OSHA Allentown Area Director Jacob Ladd said the administration's General Duty Clause entitles employees to "a safe and healthy workplace," and sometimes that relates to events of extreme heat.
More specifically, the clause requires employers to provide a workplace "free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees."
In the past five years alone, there have been 40 heat-related cases in which OSHA issued a Hazard Alert Letter or a violation against the General Duty Clause.
Eight of those were in the Lehigh Valley.
Heat exposure guidelines
Hazardous heat exposure can occur indoors — at jobs in bakeries, kitchens, laundries, electrical utilities, fire service, iron mills, steel mills, foundries, manufacturing and warehousing — OSHA says.
Outdoor jobs facing heat exposure include agriculture, construction, landscaping, mail and package delivery. Oil and gas well operations are at risk, too.
A Breinigsville facility faced a $12,278 penalty this year from OSHA after an incident in July 2023. The citationsaid employees faced the "hazard of high heat" indoors during a heat advisory.
"At the time of inspection, the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) in the oven area was 30.8 degrees Celsius (87.44) degrees Fahrenheit)," the citation summary said.
"A heat advisory was in effect on the day of monitoring. Such exposures are likely to lead to the development of serious heat-related illnesses in employees such as, but not limited to, heat stress, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, nausea, and dizziness."
Only a few states have heat regulations — Washington, Minnesota, California, Oregon, and Colorado — governing heat exposure in the workplace.
While Pennsylvania isn't part of that list, it doesn't mean employees shouldn't express concerns with their employers or OSHA, if necessary, regarding working conditions.
"OSHA has recognized that heat is a significant and very dangerous hazard in the workplace."Jacob Ladd, OSHA Allentown Area Director
"OSHA has recognized that heat is a significant and very dangerous hazard in the workplace," Ladd said. "And so we have a National Emphasis Program that deals with heat.
"What that outlines is... key priority days, where the heat index reaches 80 degrees or above."
On those days, OSHA conducts outreach and reviews employer's heat programs if inspections are in progress, he said, and during a heat advisory, OSHA begins conducting inspections under the Emphasis Program.
"Heat priority days start at a heat index of 80 degrees or higher," OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist Scott Shimandle said.
"So that's gonna pretty much get us as an agency asking, wherever we are — in the field or in industries, workplaces, indoor facilities — we're gonna be starting to ask those pointed questions as to whether or not, employees are getting training, do they have the opportunity?
"Particularly for indoors, are they drinking cool water? Are they getting the opportunity to take breaks? ...Can they find a cool area to work? Or to at least rest? Are they dressed appropriately — so dressed for heat?"
Best practices for heat exposure
Shimandle and Ladd both recommend employees heed OSHA advisories when working in high temperatures.
Those suggestions include making employers aware of pre-existing health conditions that could worsen with heat exposure, take frequent breaks as needed, consume adequate fluids and adopt a "buddy system."
"Watch out for each other is certainly an activity that I tend to think that we overlook," Shimandle said.
"Many of us worry about ourselves and forget to say, 'Hey, you know, you don't look right at this point in time.' And we need to have that wherewithal to kind of be willing to do that."
A lot of that stems from proper training, he said. Without the proper education, employees might not know the signs of heat-related illness or what proper working conditions should look like.
"At minimum, all supervisors and workers should receive training about heat-related symptoms and first aid," an OSHA webpage said.
The administration recommends employers can mitigate heat hazards by:
- Encouraging drinking water every 15 minutes and taking frequent breaks in a shaded or air-conditioned area
- Monitor new and temporary employees who are not acclimatized to the working conditions and offer them extra protection in the meantime
- Evaluate the environment and potential body heat from physical exertion at the workplace to determine if heat stress is a potential hazard.
- Recognize that heat-related illnesses can occur on normal summer days without heat advisories. Workers need additional protective measures when the heat index is 80 degrees or above.
- Increase ventilation, use cooling fans and schedule work at a cooler time when possible.
- Train workers on hazards of heat exposure and how to prevent illness and ensure adequate planning and supervision.
More information can be found on OSHA's Occupational Heat Exposure page.
"Employees should never be fearful or feel like they have to work in the heat just to keep their job. They have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. And that's why we exist, so they should never be fearful of saying something to their employer."Jacob Ladd, OSHA Allentown Area Director
Shimandle said he recommends employees try to speak with their employers first about hazardous working conditions, as "it is truly the employers' responsibility to ensure that all workers have a safe environment."
However, employees can always call their regional OSHA office to speak to someone or make an anonymous complaint.
For non-English speakers, Ladd said OSHA has a language translation line and many compliance officers who speak other languages.
The Allentown Area office — which serves Lehigh, Northampton, Bucks and Montgomery counties — is reachable at 267-429-7542. Complaints can also be filed online.
"Employees should never be fearful or feel like they have to work in the heat just to keep their job," Ladd said. "They have the right to a safe and healthy workplace.
"And that's why we exist, so they should never be fearful of saying something to their employer."
