WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration updated its National Emphasis Program on heat hazards that targets 55 high-risk industries, including sawmills, and furniture related product manufacturing.

The program is meant to protect workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards to direct agency resources where they can make the biggest impact – focusing inspections and outreach in industries and workplaces where heat stress risks are most likely to occur.  
Originally issued in April 2022, the revised National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards uses OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics data from calendar years 2022-2025 to direct inspection priorities to 55 high-risk industries in indoor and outdoor work settings.

The industries include

•  3211  Sawmills and Wood Preservation
• 3379† Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing
• 2361 Residential Building Construction
• 2362 Nonresidential Building Construction

A complete list and a overview of the NEP is available online.

Compared to the 2022 Heat NEP, the data update resulted in 46 target industries removed from the tables, 22 industries added, and 33 industries retained, for a total of 55 target industries. The 22 new industries added to the target list in Appendix A are noted with a cross mark.

Absent from the list is the cabinet manufacturing industry, which put up a concerted effort in 2025 to detail how the industry is committed to maintaining rigorous workplace safety and health standards, including those related to heat stress. Its members, which include cabinet companies of all sizes and in locales across the country, have "implemented effective measures to manage workers’ exposure to heat. These are measures specifically tailored to the unique environmental conditions of their facilities," said Betsy Natz, CEO, KCMA, in testimony during hearings on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule.

While specific industries were named, the rule does require CSHOs to be aware of potential heat hazards while they are inspecting any facility. 

According to the NEP, to "increase the likelihood of preventing heat-related illnesses and deaths and make efficient use of OSHA resources, compliance safety and health officers (CSHOs) who are investigating for other purposes shall expand their inspection or refer a heat-related inspection for any hazardous heat conditions where there is evidence (e.g., injuries or illnesses recorded in both OSHA forms 300 and 301, employee statements, or “plain view” observations) of violative conditions."

For example, if an employee brings a heat-related hazard such as worker exposure to high temperature conditions without adequate training, acclimatization or access to water, rest, and shade to the attention of the CSHO, the CSHO is to expand the inspection to cover heat-related hazards. 

Additionally, during inspections opened for other purposes occurring on heat priority days, CSHOs should inquire regarding the existence of any heat-related hazard prevention programs. A heat priority day occurs when the heat index for the day is expected to be 80°F or more. On heat priority days, the AO will assess the potential for serious heat-related illnesses and injuries where such hazards may exist in indoor or outdoor work areas or provide worksite assistance.

OSHA identified industries with high rates of heat-related illness and industries with employers that have received heat-related citations or hazard alert letters. The revised emphasis program removes outdated background information, updates links, and eliminates the former numerical inspection goal and introduces two reorganized appendices, one for evaluating heat programs and another for citation guidance. The update also includes clearer guidance that will improve tracking and more effectively implement the program’s enforcement and outreach efforts.

Heat illness remains a serious hazard for indoor and outdoor workers, leading to preventable injuries and fatalities every year. Ensuring that employers take the steps needed to safeguard workers is essential, and this updated program allows OSHA to better focus on outreach, compliance assistance, and enforcement efforts in high-risk industries and promote effective prevention practices.

The revised National Emphasis Program is effective immediately and will be in place for five years after the effective date.
OSHA said it will continue to work with industry and labor stakeholders, alliance partners, and the media to share heat safety information and resources. The agency’s On-Site Consultation Program, a free and confidential health and safety consulting program for small- and medium-sized businesses, can assist employers with developing strategic approaches for addressing heat-related illnesses and injuries in workplaces.