Maryland 90 degree rest break rule
COMAR 09.12.32 rest breaks: 10 minutes every two hours above heat index 90 F, and 15 minutes every hour at 100 F.
Maryland COMAR 09.12.32 keys rest breaks to heat index. Above 90 F and below 100 F, employers must provide a minimum rest of 10 minutes every two hours, or follow current NIOSH work and rest recommendations. At 100 F or above, the minimum is 15 minutes every hour. Water, shade or cooling, monitoring, training, acclimatization, and the written plan already apply from heat index 80 F.
Takeaways
- State the rest owed above 90 F and at 100 F.
- Keep 80 F baseline duties in place when rest kicks in.
- Document NIOSH-based rests if you do not use the fixed minutes.
- Record heat index and rests on the action-day log.
The 90 F rest break in plain English
Exact rest-break thresholds
Employer actions at heat index 90 F
Using NIOSH instead of fixed minutes
Frequently asked questions
- Is Maryland rest based on air temperature? No. COMAR 09.12.32 uses heat index. Temperature and humidity both matter.
- Does the 90 F rest apply indoors? Yes. Maryland covers indoor and outdoor heat-exposed work under the same standard.
- What else is owed before rest starts? From heat index 80 F you already owe monitoring, the written plan, water, shade or equivalent cooling, acclimatization, and training.