heat illness or death

Seems like summers in Maryland are getting hotter and hotter, and most of us can’t wait to escape into the comfort of air conditioning. However, many workers do not have that luxury. That includes a number of professions including emergency personnel (police officers, EMTs, and firefighters), construction workers and other contractors, utility workers, agricultural workers, transportation workers, housekeepers, and others laboring outdoors and in non-air-conditioned environments.

Heat-related illness can take a range of forms leading to work-related injury and death, including heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope (fainting and/or dizziness), and heat cramps. Fatigue and disorientation brought on by heat can lead to serious accidents on the job.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed federal workplace standards to protect workers in the heat, however those may take months to pass (and could be delayed depending on the election results). Only five states have heat-related regulations to protect workers, and none in our region.

Maryland and many other parts of the country are sweating under oppressive heat this summer, with Baltimore temperatures bumping up against 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and the area heat index (a combination of heat and humidity) expected to reach as high as 110.

Extreme heat makes construction, landscaping, agriculture, and other outdoor work even more dangerous, as heat-related illness — which can lead to death — can overtake the body quickly. Maryland recently reported its first heat-related death of 2023; in last year’s extreme heat, our state saw five heat-related deaths.

As Maryland Workers’ Compensation lawyers, we’re concerned about the safety and well-being of all our state’s workers. Let’s take a look at what the Maryland Department of Health and the U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) want employers and workers to know about avoiding heat illness this summer.

Articles Tagged with heat illness or death

Hot Jobs: Maryland Takes Lead on State Heat Stress Standards for Workers