Heat exposure kills at least 41 workers a year. That’s more than the annual deaths from lightning, sharks, and skydiving combined. Focused on bringing that number to zero, authorities at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently announced a landmark new “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention” rule.
Here’s a breakdown of what that entails, diving into:
- Heat-Injury Statistics: Numbers Demanding Action
- New Requirements of the Heat Injury Rule
- Why Opponents Are Pushing Back
- What’s Next?
To explore more OSHA actions and their impacts, check out OSHA Cites TX Company $257k for Failing to Prevent Worker Injuries, OSHA Report: Fatal Work Accidents Hit 7-Year Low, and OSHA Report: Every 99 Minutes, 1 Worker Dies.
Heat-Injury Statistics: Numbers Demanding Action
Heat injuries at work are not anomalies. They’re a persistent killer across several industries, as the latest data, statistics, 
and findings show that:
- An average of 3,389 workers suffer serious heat injuries each year in the U.S.
- Roughly 40 workers suffer fatal heat injuries each year.
- Since 2021, fatal heat injuries have been on the rise, increasing roughly 20% in the past four years.
- Construction is the number one industry for fatal heat injuries, accounting for more than 1 in 3 deaths caused by heat illness and injury.
- While heat deaths can disproportionally impact outdoor workers, those who work indoors and are exposed to extreme heat without the proper cooling mechanisms can suffer heat injuries too.
- Like many other workplace injuries, heat injuries are likely underreported.
Crucially, this isn’t just a problem isolated to hotter areas like Texas. The contiguous 48 states reportedly have “unusually hot summer days and nights,” making heat injuries an undeniable issue for employers and workers nationwide.
New Requirements of the Heat Injury Rule
OSHA’s proposed standard, entitled “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings,” introduces the first federal mandate on heat safety.
With that, the new rule could mandate changes impacting the following:
- Water and rest: When temperatures hit 80 °F (27 °C), employers with at least 10 workers would be required to provide staff with cool drinking water and shaded or air-conditioned break areas.
- Scheduled breaks and medical monitoring: At 90 °F (32 °C), workers must receive 15-minute breaks every two hours, with monitoring for heat illness.
- Acclimatization plans: New hires should have gradually increasing workloads, scaled up over days, to build up a tolerance to heat exposure and work conditions.
- Training and emergency response: Employers must train workers on the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. They are also required to assign heat-safety coordinators and develop emergency response plans to address heat injuries and illness in real-time.
- Indoor workers: Heat thresholds and rules apply to both indoor and outdoor workers.
These proposed requirements are remarkable because they represent the first federal heat standards for workers that:
- Establish specific rules for hydration, rest, acclimatization, training, and medical oversight.
- Crystallize those rules into enforceable policy.
Employers who fail to comply with the new standard could face hefty fines and other penalties.
Why Opponents Are Pushing Back
While OSHA’s proposed rule has substantial support, some business and trade groups oppose the rule, citing concerns about:
- Costs
- Operational burdens
- Regulatory overreach
They argue employers already have a “general duty” to maintain safe workplaces, alleging new mandates could increase red tape and litigation, rather than delivering meaningful protections.
What’s Next?
OSHA conducted formal hearings on its new rule on July 2, 2025, to hear public comments and get stakeholder feedback. Following hearings and comment periods, regulators could publish a final standard in late 2025 or early 2026.
If that occurs, the new heat injury rule could impact over 36 million workers across construction, agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and other industries.
While the goal is to make workers safer and prevent fatal heat injuries, OSHA’s new rule can’t help those who have already been hurt on the job. For those workers, talking to an experienced work accident attorney can be a crucial first step in the journey to recover and get justice.