How strong should federal workplace heat-safety rules be? | Public Comment

United States Labor Public Safety

OSHA has been working on a proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention standard for outdoor and indoor work settings. OSHA’s public hearing on the proposed rule ran from June 16 through July 2, 2025, and the post-hearing comment period ended October 30, 2025. The debate is whether federal rules should set clear triggers for water, rest, shade, acclimatization, training, and planning, or whether those requirements should be left more to states and employers because industries, climates, and job sites vary. Heat rules should be clear enough that workers do not have to gamble with their health just because a workplace is busy.

How strong should federal workplace heat-safety rules be?

Overall results

1

52% support · excluded by 2%

4

States understand their own climate and industries better than Washington does.

2

50% support · excluded by 8%

7

Federal standards should be clear enough to enforce but flexible enough to handle different job sites.

7

A baseline rule can cover minimum training and planning while letting hotter states or higher-risk industries go further.

3

50% support · excluded by 10%

7

A landscaping crew, a factory, and a delivery route face different risks, so employers need room to design workable plans.

6

OSHA can already cite dangerous workplaces; a new one-size rule could bury small employers in paperwork.

4

46% support · excluded by 14%

7

Heat illness can turn dangerous quickly, so prevention plans and rest rules should exist before someone collapses.

7

Workers in construction, warehouses, kitchens, and farms should not have different basic heat protections just because they live in different states.

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