Photo: Arizona Department of Transportation
Phoenix — The Industrial Commission of Arizona has launched a new program intended to recognize employers in the state who “excel in protecting their workforce from heat-related stress and illness.”
By demonstrating specific efforts that exceed newly released recommendations from the state’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force, employers will receive the Thermal Hazard Exposure Risk Mitigation Achievement Leader (THERMAL) certification.
Administered by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, the program stems from an Executive Order issued last year by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) titled, “Protecting Arizonans from Heat Risk in the Workplace.”
The program allows the state to commend employers who “go above and beyond basic requirements to support the health, safety and welfare of their employees with regard to heat safety,” the EO states.
Since the development of ADOSH’s Heat State Emphasis Program in July 2023, ICA says “the number of heat-related illnesses in the workplace has decreased. The agency is confident that the additional guidelines, coupled with the protections recognized by the THERMAL program, will further reduce the number of heat-related illnesses and protect Arizona’s workforce from extreme heat.”
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication