Speaking on behalf of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD), Palmer Logistics president Brett Mears, shared concerns about proposed federal heat illness prevention rules during a June 23 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hearing in Arlington, Virginia.
The new OSHA rule, proposed July 2024, would impose excessive administrative burdens on small businesses and fail to account for key operational differences across industries, testified Mears.
“ACD recognizes that workers are exposed to hazards when working in heat, and employers have an obligation to protect their employees,” Mears said in prepared remarks. “However, OSHA already has the authority to ensure employees are protected through the general duty clause.”
According to Mears, the rule’s low heat threshold would apply for most of the year in warmer climates and place undue burden on warehouse operators. He also noted that the regulation does not differentiate between industries with low-exposure risk and those with high exposure, such as construction, despite major differences in working conditions.
In his testimony, Mears added that the rule duplicates existing OSHA guidance and could limit operational flexibility without improving safety outcomes. “As written, the proposal threatens to bury employers in red tape while doing little to protect the workers it aims to help,” he said.
