Hello,

We are continuing to move the needle on establishing Florida as the safest, healthiest and most sustainable state in America. The Florida Chamber Safety Council wants to thank you for working with us and for your commitment to keeping your workplace safe day in and day out! This week is National Safety Week with a focus on Fall Protection. I encourage you to take time to have a safety toolbox talk with your staff and discuss the importance of protecting each other when dealing with Fall Hazards, as Falls continue to the leading cause of fatalities in the workplace. You can also can also find our #SafetyMeansSucess: Construction Safety Video Series for more resources, here.

In other news, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched a National Emphasis Program (NEP) designed to protect millions of workers from heat illness and injuries. This marks the first time that heat illness and injuries have been the subjects of a National Emphasis Program, with OSHA planning to conduct heat-related workplace inspections. The NEP took effect April 8, 2022 and remains in effect for three years unless canceled or extended by a superseding directive. You can find more information about this program here.

With this new program in place, we will be recognizing May as Heat Stress Prevention month and offering safety trainings on Heat Stress Prevention at a discounted rate of up to 35% off. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on average there are 702 heat-related deaths (415 with heat as the underlying cause and 287 as a contributing cause) that occur in the United States annually.