Arizona Workplace Heat Safety Task Force issues final recommendations

The State of Arizona’s Workplace Heat Safety Task Force recently issued its final recommendations to protect workers from heat-related risks.

These recommendations, published by the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA), follow Governor Katie Hobbs’s Executive Order issued earlier this year to establish the Task Force.

“These commonsense recommendations focusing on access to water, shade, and rest will keep countless Arizonans out of harm’s way as they put food on the table and push our economy forward, including during the hot Arizona summers,” Hobbs said. “I’m grateful to the 24 members of our Workplace Heat Safety Task Force from the labor, business, and advocacy communities who came together to find consensus and deliver best practices that any employer can implement."

The task force, composed of leaders from the private and public sectors, labor organizations, and occupational safety and health experts, developed practical Heat Guidelines for Employers to establish clear and effective best practices for workplace safety.

Guidelines clarify heat hazard definitions under OSHA General Duty Clause

Arizona’s Heat Stress State Emphasis Program (SEP) was launched in July 2023 by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH).

The SEP directed ADOSH Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) to look for hazardous heat conditions during current inspections and added programmed inspections on days with heat warnings and advisories. It also launched new outreach programs and data collection methods that helped inform the Task Force’s work.

The Task Force’s guidelines help clarify what constitutes a heat hazard under the OSHA General Duty Clause, as interpreted and enforced by ADOSH CSHOs. The Guidelines will help fill in details of how employers can keep workers safe beyond generally recommended controls.

The Task Force’s recommendations focus on proven strategies to prevent heat illness, including:

• Access to water, shade, and rest breaks
• Employee acclimatization
• Heat safety training

The guidelines also clarify definitions, outline best practices for employer Heat Illness Prevention Plans, and include specific exemptions for emergency operations.

“Heat has long been a recognized hazard, and Arizona faces unique challenges with its variety of climates and industries,” said Gaetano Testini, ICA director. “The Task Force effectively addressed and navigated these complexities as it delivered very actionable recommendations for the agency.”

ADOSH to review and implement reccomendations in the spring

The Task Force met four times over the summer and fall of 2025, discussing, deliberating, and evaluating a variety of strategies and measures to protect workers from heat risk. Between meetings, discussions continued as Task Force members reviewed language, shared research, and convened conversations among their respective industry groups and colleagues.

Following discussion and feedback from the Task Force, ADOSH will take additional measures to implement the Governor’s Executive Order, including:

• Publishing annual data on heat-related claims, complaints, and citations to evaluate the effectiveness of the recommendations, implementation, and education efforts
• Providing downloadable template heat plans to help employers, especially small businesses, implement safety measures

The ADOSH Advisory Committee will review the Task Force’s recommendations in a public meeting Feb. 4 before submitting them to the ICA for final consideration later in the spring.

Additionally, ADOSH will soon launch a recognition program to highlight model employers who go above and beyond in protecting workers from heat risks, as outlined in the Executive Order.