A heat illness regulation (R131-24AP) adopted by the Division of Industrial Relations (DIR) and will be in effect on February 13, 2025 and applies to businesses with more than 10 or more Nevada based employees. Per a press release by Nevada OSHA, “the new regulation provides flexibility for each business to evaluate workplace hazards associated with heat to develop and implement a plan that addresses their specific needs”
Due to workplace hazards inherent in Nevada’s increasingly hot climate, there were 467 heat-related complaints filed through September 2024 with Nevada’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
As outlined by the press release, businesses are required to assess working conditions that could cause occupational exposure to heat illness where a majority of employees have exposure to heat for more than 30 minutes of any 60-minute period. If conditions are present that could cause heat illness, the business must mitigate those conditions via a written plan covering:
- Providing potable drinking water
- Provision of a rest break when an employee exhibits symptoms of heat illness
- Provision for means of cooling for employees
- Monitoring by a person designated by the employer of working conditions that could create occupational exposure to heat illness
- Identification and mitigation of work processes that may generate additional heat or humidity
- Training employees how to recognize the hazards of heat illness
- Training employees on procedures to be followed to minimize the hazards of heat illness
- Training employees on procedures for responding to an emergency
- Designate an individual who will contact emergency services if an employee is experiencing signs of heat illness. This individual will contact emergency medical services if an emergency response is required, provide information necessary to emergency responders and transport the employee to a location where an emergency responder can reach the employee (when necessary and appropriate)
The regulation does not apply to employees who work in climate-controlled environments or work out of vehicles with a properly functioning climate control system. The Nevada On-Site Consultation program (SCATS) will provide training courses at www.4safenv.state.nv.us.