The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is reminding all employers to protect workers from heat illness as high temperatures are forecast in the coming days. Some of the highest temperatures include:

Employers in California are required to protect outdoor workers from heat illness by providing water, rest, shade and training and must closely observe their workers for signs of heat illness.

In certain industries, when the temperature at outdoor worksites reaches or exceeds 95 degrees, Cal/OSHA’s standard requires additional protections. The industries with additional high-heat requirements are agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction and transportation of agricultural products, construction materials or other heavy materials. High-heat procedures include ensuring employees are observed regularly for signs of heat illness and establishing effective communication methods so workers can contact a supervisor when needed.

Employers with outdoor workers in all industries must take the following steps to prevent heat illness:

• Plan – Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures.
• Training – Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention.
• Water – Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 32 ounces (or four cups of water) per hour and encourage workers to do so.
• Rest – Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need to do so to protect themselves from overheating. Workers should not wait until they feel sick to cool down.
• Shade – Provide proper shade when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Workers have the right to request and be provided shade to cool off at any time.

Details on heat illness prevention requirements and training materials are available online on Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention web page and the 99calor.org informational website. A Heat Illness Prevention online tool is also available on Cal/OSHA’s website.

Western Growers Insurance Services (WGIS) provides a diverse range of comprehensive training services for its members and clients. For more information about heat illness employee safety training and other additional safety training services, please visit https://www.wgis.com.