US Labor Department extends comment period for new heat safety rules

The US Labor Department is extending the public comment period for its proposed heat safety rules by 30 days. This gives organizations more time to submit data and arguments about the new workplace heat standards.

This extension is a small procedural step in a much larger effort to define workplace heat exposure as a regulated hazard. For decades, heat exposure has been treated as an individual worker's problem, not a systemic workplace risk. If these rules are adopted, employers will have new legal obligations to protect workers from heat, both indoors and outdoors. This could shift liability for heat-related illnesses from individual workers to companies.