The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), does not have a safety standard specifically addressing extreme weather. Instead, OSHA relies on the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act to address identified hazards to workers in extreme weather. The General Duty Clause requires employers to provide employees “a place of employment which [is] free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”
Seven states (California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) have enacted laws addressing the hazards to workers that can arise from extreme heat. Washington and Minnesota, however, are the only states that have worker safety standards which address potential hazards to workers in cold weather conditions. Minnesota’s state OSHA plan requires that indoor places of employment must be kept at a minimum temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit (if light work is performed) and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (if heavy work is performed). Washington’s state OSHA plan has a cold stress rule that applies to firefighters only. Washington applies a general rule for all other employers to protect employees from cold weather.
Several states currently are considering legislation that would address the potential hazards to workers from cold weather. Illinois House Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. introduced the Workplace Extreme Temperature Safety Act (H.B. 3762) this year which...
Four pharmacies in Hudson County agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle claims that they billed federal healthcare programs for medications they never filled, federal prosecutors said. The ph...