SoleInvictus

A lot of folks forget that peaceful protests are a great way to get people together and doing something, even if that something is initially just catharsis. Even if things escalate to... let's say spray painting JD Vance oompa loompa graffiti everywhere... forming up at protests is how you can make that happen.

Thanks for being there. We need more people like you.

Oh no, please argue with me! I always tell my crews to call me out if they disagree. I'm not perfect, I get things wrong. It's hokey but true: safety is a team effort.

I would recommend bringing up the OSHA guidelines as suggestions on how to improve the workplace and thereby worker morale. There likely isn't much that's enforceable that they could report to OSHA as it stands - they seem to be closer to "really damn uncomfortable" territory than imminent danger, but there may be more to this situation I'm not aware of. Getting OSHA in for something unrelated but enforceable is a good tactic too. Keep in mind a certain dipshit administration has cut funding and gutted agencies, so response times may be slow.

I do caution folks to be strategic about speaking up and filing complaints, and to keep a detailed CYA paper trail of EVERYTHING they can for at least a year afterwards, more if they have a sketchy employer. While it's illegal to retaliate, at-will employment makes it really easy to do so anyhow. I know - I, the damn safety person, once got fired for getting hurt on the job!

You are 100% correct about concern for wet bulb temperature above body temperature, although we start getting concerned at a couple of degrees below body temperature too. The environment has to be a bit cooler so waste heat can be dumped fast enough, otherwise body temperature will begin to increase. Two degrees cooler is barely enough and it's a miserable experience if you're doing anything.

Preface: I work in environmental, health, and safety, and industrial hygiene, so this is my job. Not stating I know all there is to know, just that I know some.

The problem is those are all recommendations, not regulations, so nothing there is enforceable. The NWS heat index advice is meant for the general population without accounting for any mitigating conditions - it's a catch-all recommendation. It's meant for you, me, and my 400 pound, 90 year old neighbor with congestive heart failure, all sitting in direct sun without any water or moving air. Millions of people work in hotter conditions on a regular basis, and can do so safely as long as extensive precautions are taken. It's not comfortable, but it's safe as long as people are smart about it. Is OP's employer being smart? Maybe. Let's go through it together!

Let's go off of Cal/OSHA's guidelines, which is a decent program. I think it needs a hard "stop working it's too damn hot" cutoff, but that's just me (and every other safety person). Anyhow... if OP has hit 95°F, with a relative humidity of 50%, their heat index is 105. For anything above 80°F, employees need access to a nearby cooler rest area below 82°F. A work environment at 87+°F (82°F w/ hot clothing or high radiant heat) triggers a further response from the employer, foremost in the form of feasible engineering controls - things that make it cooler. This could include air conditioning but, for a larger workplace environment, often ends up being ventilation in the form of big industrial fans since HVAC is massively expensive. Don't discount the fans, though - I got one at auction and they seriously kick ass. If the employer can afford HVAC but opts for fans, it's still legal as long as fans work sufficiently (i.e., this wouldn't fly in a foundry but is fine in many factories), but the employer is just a piece of shit. 'Murica! Past that, we go to administrative controls - changing what people do. This includes mandatory 14 day acclimation periods for new employees, breaks in an air-conditioned space, scheduled hydration, monitoring for non-acclimated employees, and an emergency response plan. Then we're on to PPE - neck fans, cooling vests, ice packs, etc. The stuff you use when everything else still doesn't quite cut it.

I don't know the exact details of op's workplace but, based on what they've communicated, their workplace likely isn't a serious hazard for a reasonably healthy, heat-acclimated adult taking at least most of the above heat illness precautions. I need more info (like if they're working with ovens or other heat producing equipment) but my professional, somewhat off-the-cuff recommendation is employees be dressed appropriately, acclimated to the temperature, remain hydrated, take periodic rest breaks in an air conditioned space (I’d advise 10 minutes on the hour, maybe more), and implement a monitoring/emergency response program. Work won't be comfortable, but it's unlikely to hurt anyone based on my current, incomplete understanding. Is their boss a giant turd for not getting HVAC when building a helipad was a consideration? Definitely.

Of course! And seriously, hit me up if you need any EHS advice or some real official sounding verbiage. I got laid off so I suddenly have a lot of free time.

I work in environmental, health, and safety, and industrial hygiene, so workplace safety is my jam. You are correct that the regs are shit. Unless you live in one of five states with heat related regulations, you're really only covered by OSHA's general duty clause, which can be summed up as "employers have to at least make a good faith effort to do the bare minimum to not hurt their employees". It sucks.

For workplace temperature, what you'll want to look at is wet-bulb temperature, not the dry-bulb reading provided by a thermostat. You can find online calculators that'll calculate it by temperature and relative humidity. Wet bulb is the measurement accounting for evaporative cooling, so a better approximation of what temperature a human body experiences. Theoretically, a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C (95°F) or more isn't sustainable and will always lead to heat illness with sustained exposure. Around 30°C (about 85°F) is where we start seeing issues if people don't consider any steps to avoid heat illness.

It gets tricky from there as there are a ton of variables to determining a safe temperature, e.g., hydration, environmental radiant heat, cardiovascular health, level of acclimation, nature of the work, body mass, break frequency, access to air conditioned spaces, etc.

For example, at 94°F, a healthy adult performing moderate physical activity out of the sun (or away from any other heat source) should be fine up to about 75% humidity (so a wet bulb of 85°F), assuming they are dressed appropriately, acclimated to the temperature, remain hydrated, take periodic rest breaks in an air conditioned space (I’d advise 10 minutes on the hour, maybe more). I also recommend a monitoring/emergency response program

Let me know if I can help at all. I love heat, but working in it is just miserable.

Fun fact: OSHA recommendations aren't enforceable. Not supporting this, but the only way you can get traction on workplace temperature (unless you're in California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, or Washington) is under the general duty clause. While a smart employer keeps their employees safe and reasonably comfortable, all federal OSHA requires is that you vaguely don't hurt them.

Was it this?

I used to do voice work and this is depressingly common. I'd get requests to "do some simple readings for a research project" or similar vaguely phrased nonsense. Sometimes they were honest and offered a depressingly small lump sum or royalties plan. I always refused, fuck that.

Fully and forevially delitized tube worm. Permanently ham and cream cheese plume, permanently bologna tube, foreverial ham and cheese trunk, forever tied up and loving it.

It looks like a gaucho grill, an Argentine grill setup. They're pretty cool and not all that difficult to make.