Part 5: Virginia Moves Toward Heat Illness Prevention Standards

Written by: Kristina Keech Spitler

Virginia Moves Toward Heat Illness Prevention Standards

Workplace safety remains an important focus in Virginia, and one of the newer developments is a law addressing heat illness prevention. Effective July 1, 2026, Virginia added a new law requiring the Safety and Health Codes Board, in consultation with the Department of Labor and Industry, to develop and adopt regulations by May 1, 2028 designed to protect workers from heat illness during indoor and outdoor work.

The law defines “heat illness” as a serious medical condition resulting from the body’s inability to cope with a particular heat load, and it lists examples including heat cramps, heat rash, heat edema, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, rhabdomyolysis, and heat stroke. It also defines “worker” broadly to include an employee, independent contractor, or other laborer whose worksite conditions are controlled by an employer.

Even though the specific regulations are still forthcoming, the law makes clear that the expectation is for employers to implement heat illness prevention plans once the regulations are adopted. That means employers with indoor and outdoor heat exposure issues should start thinking now about what policies, training, monitoring, and response procedures may be necessary when those requirements become more concrete.

This development is especially relevant for employers in construction, landscaping, warehousing, manufacturing, and any environment where heat conditions can become severe, but the law itself is broader than any one industry because it speaks in terms of protecting workers during indoor and outdoor work.

Contact Kristina Keech Spitler, Esq. or Meghan M. Phillips, Esq. to make sure your organization is prepared for these workplace safety law changes, review your employment practices, and assist with other employment-related legal issues at 703-369-4738 or kspitler@vfnlaw.com or mphillips@vfnlaw.com

This blog post is not intended to provide legal advice or substitute for the advice of legal counsel with respect to specific facts and situations. See disclaimer