Maryland Heat Illness Prevention Plan Requirements
Maryland’s heat stress standard, COMAR 09.12.32 (effective September 30, 2024), applies to all employers whose workers are exposed to a heat index of 80 degrees F or higher, indoors or outdoors. Covered employers must develop, implement, and maintain a written heat-related illness prevention and management plan, available to employees and to MOSH on request. The plan must provide at least 32 ounces of drinking water per employee per hour, shaded rest areas or equivalent cooling, acclimatization over up to 14 days for new and returning workers, high-heat procedures when the heat index reaches 90 degrees F, an emergency response plan, and training before exposure, annually, and after any heat illness incident.
The numbers MOSH checks
- ✓ Trigger: heat index of 80 degrees F, monitored where the work actually happens
- ✓ Water: at least 32 ounces per employee per hour, cool and accessible
- ✓ Shade: provided for rest periods, with alternative cooling only where shade is infeasible or unsafe
- ✓ Acclimatization: up to 14 days for new employees and employees returning from 7 or more days away
- ✓ High-heat procedures at 90 degrees F: work/rest periods or equivalent controls plus mandatory employee monitoring
- ✓ Emergency response: communication, response, monitoring and care, emergency contacts, and transport
- ✓ Training: before initial exposure, annually, and immediately after a suspected or confirmed heat illness at the site
Who is covered
The standard reaches both outdoor and indoor work above the trigger, so it covers roofers and landscapers along with warehouse and mechanical-room work. Maryland was the first state on the East Coast with a comprehensive heat standard, and MOSH can ask for your written plan during any inspection once the heat index condition is met.
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Common questions
▸Does the Maryland heat standard cover indoor work?
Yes. It applies wherever employees are exposed to a heat index of 80 degrees F or higher, indoor or outdoor, with limited exceptions such as emergency operations and incidental exposures.
▸What is the acclimatization requirement?
Employees new to heat exposure, and employees returning from 7 or more consecutive days away, must be acclimatized over a period of up to 14 days, gradually increasing exposure. The plan must say how you do it.
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