In powerful public testimony today, Dr. David Wegman, senior scientist at La Isla Network (LIN) and Professor Emeritus at UMass Lowell, called for urgent improvements to OSHA’s proposed heat protection rule. Wegman emphasized that current standards fail to protect workers under real-world conditions.
LIN recognizes the importance of the heat standard, considering it a great first step in what should be a multi-phase effort to protect workers. Jason Glaser, CEO of LIN, said,
“What is needed in conjunction with a federal heat standard is occupational safety and health interventions that are driven by data, physiologically effective and economically viable, demonstrating from the outset that protecting workers isn’t a burden but a competitive advantage where productivity is likely to go up.”
LIN has demonstrated that heat stress protections are protective and profitable. They developed interventions abroad with promising results: 94% reduction in heat-related hospitalizations, 9–19% increase in productivity across job categories, and a 60% maximum return on investment with profitability achieved by the third year of the intervention. Now they are working to bring those results home.
LIN researchers have identified several limitations in the OSHA heat standard as it is written. “The heat index alone is not enough,” Wegman told OSHA. “Our research—some of it conducted right here in the U.S.—shows that metabolic load must be considered, and rest break schedules must match the intensity of labor.” Citing studies of 175 U.S. construction workers, Wegman revealed how core body temperature spikes with work effort more than with outdoor temperature alone.
Despite these limitations, LIN researchers believe that the OSHA rule could help lay the groundwork for a “broader, phased approach” that includes:
- Access to water, shade, mandatory rest breaks, sanitation, education about heat stress, and emergency heat response plans.
- “Enhanced guidelines with data-driven measures,” including the development of appropriate work-rest schedules through consistent monitoring of environmental and metabolic heat production (when the cells in your body generate heat from taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide). This would encourage context-oriented guidelines that are informed by research and could be adjusted for individual workplaces.
- Focus on the implementation of data-driven work-rest schedules.
However, canceled research funding from the U.S. Department of Labor has left critical evidence in jeopardy. This research, funded by ILAB and canceled due to federal cuts, has led to life-saving interventions in Central America and informed recommendations for U.S. standards.
“When workers have structured rest, hydration, and shade, they don’t just survive—they produce more,” said Wegman. “This is a win-win for health and productivity.”
La Isla Network’s “Bring It Home” campaign draws direct lines between these findings and the need to apply them across the U.S. labor market.
La Isla Network is a health research and advisory organization dedicated to ending heat-related injury, illness and death among workers worldwide. We develop data-driven worker protection interventions and conduct management of change, improving the resiliency of workforces and businesses to heat exposure. LIN drives lasting change by working with governments and multilateral institutions to inform and create policy. For more information please use our contact form.
