House Republicans and small business advocates are pushing back against a heat-safety rule proposed during the Biden administration, arguing it would impose unnecessary requirements on employers nationwide.
Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., recently introduced the “Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025,” which would repeal a federal heat-safety rule that would require employers to take specific actions when workers are exposed to certain temperatures.
More than 20 Republicans and a range of business advocacy groups are backing the bill, according to a Nov. 20 announcement from Messmer’s office.
“As a small business owner myself, I’ve seen how unwarranted, heavy-handed regulations can crush innovation, increase costs, and undermine the productivity of American institutions,” Messmer said in a statement. “The Biden Heat Rule was never about safety, but was rather, unsurprisingly, focused upon expanding federal bureaucratic control over hard-working Americans.”
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In July 2024, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings,” which would enact obligations on employers when workers are exposed to temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 15 minutes in a 60-minute period.
“Every worker should come home safe and healthy at the end of the day, which is why the Biden-Harris administration is taking this significant step to protect workers from the dangers posed by extreme heat,” Julie Su, former Acting Secretary of Labor, said at the time.
However, critics say it would require U.S. businesses to comply with one-size-fits-all standards, that it fails to recognize companies already putting in place heat injury prevention measures, would hit small businesses with fines for not meeting standards and prevent states from setting their own heat-safety rules, according to Messmer’s office.
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“Small businesses overwhelmingly oppose the Biden Administration’s proposed OSHA Heat Standard as it would add unworkable, new, one-sized-fits-all mandates and dramatically increase the federal government’s regulatory control over their business,” Dylan Rosnick, principal of federal government relations at the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), said in a statement.
Rosnick noted that small businesses are “already taking steps” to prevent their workers from experiencing heat-related illnesses and injuries.
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“Yet, the Biden Administration’s proposed OSHA Heat Standard fails to recognize this fact and instead would cripple small businesses, who work without government intervention to protect their employees’ health and safety, with more mandates and regulatory burdens,” Rosnick added.
OSHA recently extended the public comment period for the proposed heat rule to remain open until Jan. 14, 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.
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