Is Your Louisiana Employer Protecting You from the Summer Heat? Read On to Learn about What Louisiana Employers Should be Doing to Protect Workers

Many Louisiana workers are aware that their employers have a duty to keep them safe from hazards on the job. This duty is one that is imposed not only by moral and ethical obligations, but also by federal laws. Indeed, the same laws that created the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration agency, also create a legal obligation for employers to keep workers safe from “known hazards” on the job. One of those hazards, perhaps to some workers’ surprise, is heat. Indeed, OSHA itself clarifies that the obligation to protect workers from known hazards “…includes protecting workers from heat-related hazards.”

With summer temperatures rising in Louisiana, the discussion about how employers should keep their employees safe from heat illnesses and injuries is never more important. However, there is no federal law that specifically addresses heat exposure at work and how employers must prevent heat injuries in the workplace, other than the general rule that employers are expected to “take reasonable action to prevent their employees from illness and death.” So how should Louisiana employers protect Louisiana workers from soaring temperatures? We look at some suggested actions that employers can take to avoid heat injuries and accidents in the workplace here.

7 Things Louisiana Employers Can do to Help Prevent Heat Injuries and Illnesses on the Job

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, there are seven different actions that employers can take to reduce the likelihood of heat injuries and illnesses to workers on the job. First, employers should have a “heat illness prevention plan” that comprehensively encompasses a plan to prevent heat-related illnesses, such as procedures, supplies, equipment and an action plan in case workers are exposed to heat. Secondly, employers should make water easily accessible to workers. Next, employers should allow employees to take regular rest periods (and some state laws mandate specific rest period regulations). Fourth, OSHA advises that employers should slowly acclimate workers to working in the heat by phasing them into working in full-intensity heat. In addition, employers should encourage employees to dress appropriately for working in the heat. Sixth, employers should always monitor their employees for signs of heat illness. Finally, OSHA recommends that, if possible, employers should rearrange working hours and schedules so that workers are not working at the hottest parts of the day. Of course, workers themselves should be aware of the dangers of working in hot weather and follow safety procedures and rules applicable to their workplace.

Legal Help for Injured Louisiana Workers

If you were injured at work in Louisiana and you need legal help obtaining Louisiana workers’ compensation benefits contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at the law firm Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC. The experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at the law firm Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC help Louisiana workers get workers’ compensation benefits due to them for their workplace injuries. Contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at the law firm Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC today and speak to a lawyer about your case now.

Source:

cnn.com/2024/06/18/business/employer-obligations-worker-safety-heat-waves/index.html