The New Mexico Environment Department's Occupational Health and Safety Bureau has announced an extension to the timeline for adopting its proposed heat illness and injury rule. This extension aims to allow more outreach and stakeholder engagement throughout the summer and fall, ensuring wider participation in the rulemaking process.
The updated timeline includes several key steps. By June 30, the department plans to complete its review of stakeholder feedback from the initial public comment period, which began on April 1 and concluded today. The feedback will be incorporated into a revised proposed rule.
In July and August, a series of stakeholder roundtables will be held by NMED to gather additional data from various groups including employers, employees, medical professionals, insurance professionals, and associations. The proposed rule will continue to be revised based on these discussions. Interested parties can participate by contacting heatrule.comments@env.nm.gov.
In September, further revisions to the proposed rule are expected. By October 1, NMED intends to file its amended workplace heat protection rule with the Environmental Improvement Board (EIB). A hearing is scheduled for November to determine whether the rule will pass.
To aid in gathering necessary documentation on heat illnesses and injuries in New Mexico, NMED is requesting that employers provide information about their policies and procedures for protecting employees from heat-related issues. Additionally, data from medical and insurance providers regarding heat illnesses and injuries is being sought.
Since 2023, NMED has collaborated with employers under OSHA's National Emphasis Program to protect workers from heat-related incidents. Over the past three years, efforts have been made with stakeholders to prepare this proposed rule.
As summer approaches and heat-related incidents are anticipated to rise, employees are encouraged to report such incidents directly to their employer or contact the Occupational Health and Safety Bureau at (505) 476-8700. Reports are treated as anonymous unless otherwise specified by the employee.
Information from this article can be found here.
