The Florida Chamber Safety Council has introduced a new platform aimed at enhancing workplace heat safety for employers. This comprehensive toolkit includes resources such as heat stress prevention strategies, real-time weather monitoring applications, and continuing education and training opportunities.
“Florida is once again setting the national example as employers now have access to the necessary tools to help them combat heat-related risks in one centralized location,” said John Trevathan, Chair of the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet and Vice President of Corporate Services at Guidewell. “By facilitating the sharing, teaching, and implementation of innovative best practices, this new online resource seeks to revolutionize worker heat safety, not only in Florida but across the United States.”
In the recent legislative session, the Florida Chamber Safety Council supported Governor DeSantis and the Legislature’s approval of Florida House Bill 433 (HB 433). A significant challenge for companies operating in different local jurisdictions is adhering to various, sometimes conflicting, heat safety policies. The bill addresses this by providing consistency needed to keep employees safe. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently proposed the nation’s first federal heat safety rule to create uniformity across the country.
“The launch of the Florida Chamber Safety Council’s online heat safety platform is perfectly timed as OSHA ramps up its efforts to nationally align employers on their approach to heat safety,” said Ed Foulke, Jr., former Head of OSHA, Partner at Fisher Phillips, and Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet Advisory Board Member. “With millions of American workers being exposed to heat in the workplace on a daily basis, illness prevention is key and is extremely instrumental in saving lives.”
Employers can access the new online heat safety platform through the Florida Chamber Safety Council's website.
“No one cares more about the safety of employees than the employers and safety managers that serve on our Leadership Cabinet’s advisory board and as members of the Florida Chamber Safety Council,” said Katie Yeutter, President of the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet on Safety, Health and Sustainability. “The Florida Chamber Safety Council will continue to be a resource to Florida employers as they navigate OSHA’s pending heat standard and workplace safety excellence by providing data-driven research, science, and technologies that will help create a clear path for worker safety.”
To learn more about getting involved with these efforts or navigating OSHA principles related to workplace safety, visit their website.