ARTBA Testifies at OSHA Hearing on Expected New Heat Standard Proposal

What happened: ARTBA member Meg Rietschlin, president of Rietschlin Construction Inc., testified Sept. 7 at a Small Business Advocacy Review Panel convened by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ahead of OSHA issuing a proposed heat safety standard for formal comment.

Why it matters: OSHA’s rule would cover construction industry employees exposed to hazardous heat – both indoors and outdoors – and could mandate certain measures for employers to prevent heat-related illness or injury on job sites. Rietschlin stressed that employers already have administrative and engineering controls in place to protect workers.

What’s next: OSHA must produce a public report summarizing the comments prior to issuing a proposed rule, including written comments from the public. ARTBA members have until Dec. 23 to review the regulatory framework document and background document and file comments. Members may contact ARTBA’s Prianka Sharma or Brad Sant with feedback.