The Department of Labor is urging small-business owners and representatives from local government entities to join the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other government agencies for a series of upcoming discussions regarding the potential effects of a workplace heat standard on small businesses.
Although largely preventable and often underreported, workplace heat illness sickens thousands of people and sometimes is fatal.
OSHA is developing a potential standard for workplaces—in which the agency has jurisdiction—to prevent heat illness and injury in outdoor and indoor environments in general industry and in the construction, maritime and agriculture industries.
OSHA is holding Small Business Advocacy Review Panel meetings this summer. The panel will comprise representatives from OSHA, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy, and the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The panel welcomes small entity representatives from any industry but is particularly interested in collecting input from industries OSHA believes would be most affected by a heat standard, including construction and manufacturing.
The meetings will be held in teleconferences where small businesses can share concerns and discuss current practices for protecting their employees from heat-related illnesses and injuries. The panel also is seeking input regarding how new heat regulations might affect their workplace operations or local business communities. The discussions will be open to the public.
NRCA has been engaged in representing the roofing industry within the heat standard rulemaking process and is actively seeking members interested in participating in the panel as a small entity representative. Members who have annual revenue of $19 million or less qualify as a small entity. The Small Business Advocacy Review Panel is an important opportunity for the roofing industry to potentially influence the proposed standard. NRCA strongly encourages members interested in participating in the panel to contact Cheryl Ambrose, NRCA’s vice president of enterprise risk management, at cambrose@nrca.net.
Learn more about the panel and how small businesses can participate.
