U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 
   Occupational Safety and Health Administration 
DIRECTIVE NUMBER: CPL 03-00-024 
SUBJECT: National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards 
DIRECTORATE: Directorate of Enforcement Programs 
SIGNATURE DATE: April 10, 2026 
EFFECTIVE DATE: April 10, 2026 
ABSTRACT 
Purpose: 
This Instruction describes policies and procedures for the continued 
implementation of a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect 
employees from heat-related hazards and resulting injuries and illnesses 
in outdoor and indoor workplaces in general industry, construction, 
maritime, and agriculture.  This NEP sets forth a targeted enforcement 
component and reiterates compliance assistance and outreach efforts.  
This approach is intended to encourage early interventions by employers 
to prevent illnesses and deaths among workers during high heat 
conditions, such as working outdoors in a local area experiencing a heat 
wave, as announced by the National Weather Service.   
Scope: 
This Instruction applies OSHA-wide. 
References: 
Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act), 29 
U.S.C. § 654.  
OSHA Instruction, CPL 02-00-164, Field Operations Manual (FOM), April 
14, 2020. 
(See Section III for additional references.) 
Cancellations: 
CPL 03-00-024, National Emphasis Program – Outdoor and Indoor Heat-
Related Hazards, April 8, 2022. 
State Impact: 
Notice of Intent Required, Adoption Encouraged. See Section VI. 
Action Offices: 
OSHA Regional and Area Offices, State Plan and OSHA On-Site 
Consultation programs 
Originating Office: 
Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Office of Health Enforcement 
workplace safety
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employer in any area of construction. 
OSHA has also provided information on 
points that an OSHA compliance officer 
(CSHO) is to consider when evaluating 
an employer’s Heat Illness Prevention 
Program. These include:
1.	Is there a Heat Illness Prevention 
Program in place that is effectively 
communicated to employees?
2.	How does the employer monitor the 
ambient temperature and the levels 
of work exertion at the worksite? 
With this, OSHA is emphasizing that 
the concern for heat illness is not 
temperature or the heat index alone. 
OSHA expects you, as an employer, 
to consider the work effort (labor) 
expended by your employees and 
how that coupled with the heat 
index creates a significant safety 
hazard.
3.	Were there sufficient amounts of 
cool water easily accessible to 
employees on the job site? Did the 
employer allow additional breaks for 
hydration, and were there sched-
uled rest breaks? The question to 
be answered is whether you have 
communicated to your employees 
that they can take breaks as needed 
(in addition to scheduled breaks) to 
hydrate. Also, have you established a 
schedule of rest breaks correspond-
ing with your conclusions drawn for 
your efforts in paragraph 2, above?
4.	The compliance officer is to ques-
tion whether there was access to a 
shaded area. While there were no 
further details provided in the OSHA 
Instruction, I remind you that when 
selecting a shaded area, you should 
always consider the possibility and 
amount of radiant heat that will im-
pact the effectiveness of shade.
5.	Compliance officers are also asked 
to ensure the employer provided an 
acclimatization schedule for new 
and returning workers.
6.	Another question to be answered is 
whether the employer applied ad-
ministrative controls such as using 
earlier start times and adjusting the 
workload to limit heat exposure. 
7.	Compliance officers also determine 
whether the employees and super-
visors understand the heat illness 
prevention program.
8.	They will need to determine wheth-
er the employer provided training 
on heat illness signs; how to report 
signs and symptoms; first-aid; how 
to contact emergency personnel; 
prevention and the importance of 
hydration to employees.
9.	Finally, a new requirement (expec-
tation) by OSHA, is whether the 
company’s heat program is properly 
implemented by a “designated heat 
safety representative.”
The new Instruction also provides cita-
tion guidance. The compliance officer 
is reminded that any citations issued 
will be General Duty Clause violations. 
This is not good news for employers as 
Area Directors will not usually reclassi-
fy a General Duty citation to OTS. This 
leaves you with two options – accept 
the citation and try to lower the penalty 
or file a Notice of Contest and place the 
citation before the Review Commission.
In addition, compliance officers are re-

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