According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, weather trends for Summer 2026 are expected to be hotter and drier than normal across the United States, including our work area across the Southern Region.
Staying safe on a job site is one of our main priorities. To protect against heat illness, OSHA has provided several resources to prevent heat hazards in the workplace.
Employer Tips
- Whether you work indoors or outdoors, you can still be exposed to high temperatures. It is important to have a heat safety plan in place and understand the heat hazards of your jobsite, and how to calculate heat stress.
- New workers are the most susceptible to heat hazards, over 70 percent of heat-related incidents occur during a worker’s first week, or the first day after an extended absence.
- Workers who are new to working in warm environments may not be acclimated to the heat and will need time to adapt to working in hot conditions. Workers can also lose their heat tolerance during extended absences.
- To prevent heat-related illnesses, OSHA and NIOSH recommend the “Rule of 20 percent” to build heat tolerance.
- New workers should work 20 percent of the normal duration during the first day, and then 20 percent each additional day until they are performing a normal schedule.
- To properly become acclimatized to heat, workers should perform a reduced schedule of similar tasks in intensity to their expected work until they build the heat tolerance required to operate with the demands of their job.
- Heat illness is preventable, ensure employees are taking rest breaks, drinking cool water, finding shade, wearing loose-fitting and light-colered clothing where possible, and checking in on each other.
Sources:
Heat – Protecting New Workers | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Heat – Heat Stress Calculator | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Heat – Heat Hazard Recognition | Occupational Safety and Health Administration