Scientists Group Calls for 'Strong' Heat Rule

The Federation of American Scientists issued its 2025 Heat Policy Agenda for the Trump Administration and 119th Congress on Monday, calling for Washington to finalize a “strong rule to prevent heat injury and illness in the workplace, and establish Centers of Excellence to protect troops, transportation workers, farmworkers, and other essential personnel from extreme heat.”
The non-profit policy research and advocacy group called for President-elect Donald Trump to direct OSHA to continue implementing the agency’s National Emphasis Program on heat, which enforces employers’ obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury.
It also called for Congressional action on S. 2501, which would keep workers safe by requiring basic labor protections, such as water and breaks, in the event of indoor and outdoor extreme temperatures.
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It is the high season to collect and document occupational injury data from 2024 and, if applicable, submit it to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), for businesses with 10 or more employees.
Companies must keep records of serious work-related illnesses and injuries for five years, and must visibly post OSHA Form 300A in the workplace by Feb. 1, 2025.
That posting deadline is March 2, 2025 for businesses that meet one of the following criteria:
- Has 250 or more employees and is not in an industry listed in the Exempt Industries list in Appendix A to Subpart B of OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation of 29 CFR Part 1904.
- Has 20-249 employees and is in an industry listed in Appendix A to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904.
More information is available on OSHA’s ITA Coverage Application page.
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The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division has slated free, in-person OSHA Recordkeeping Workshops on Thursdays and Fridays in January and February 2025 to help business owners, human resource professionals and safety managers ensure compliance with federal recordkeeping requirements.
The workshops will cover which businesses must maintain OSHA recordkeeping forms, when an injury or illness becomes “recordable,” how to complete the forms, updates to recordkeeping requirements and the consequences of noncompliance.
The first of nine sessions is scheduled for Jan. 16 in Honolulu. Two sessions are scheduled in Waipahu, on Feb. 14 and 21. While the sessions are free, registration is limited.
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