OSHA Philadelphia reports uptick in heat safety inquiries

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Philadelphia office has issued a heat warning this week. A year after the start of its heat outreach campaign, OSHA says inquiries have gone up.

OSHA’s Philadelphia-area director, Al D’Imperio, reports his office has handled five cases so far this year. He says those at highest risk for heat-related illness and fatalities work in construction.

D’Impirio says his office has also gotten more requests for information. The office passes out water bottles with heat safety guidelines to day laborers.

According to D’Imperio, two people died last year in his region of Pennsylvania, which includes Delaware, Chester and Philadelphia counties.

There have been no deaths reported this year, though OSHA is investigating the case of a 47-year-old man who became ill on the job in Mercer County, N.J., and eventually died in what officials think was a heat-related incident.