Cal/OSHA reminds all employers of their obligation to safeguard employees from heat-related illnesses, as high temperatures are anticipated to persist throughout California in the upcoming week.
Heat illness is a serious and potentially deadly hazard. Under Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Standards, employers are legally required to implement protective measures for outdoor and indoor workers. Employers may be covered under both the indoor and outdoor regulations if they have workers in each setting. See Cal-OSHA’s Comparison Chart of Indoor and Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Standards for more information.
Employers should note that Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment regulation covers most indoor environments, including warehouses, packing facilities, and the enclosed operator compartments of harvesters and other agricultural machinery, which are considered indoor workplaces under the regulation. For indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82 degrees, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness. Some of the requirements include providing water, rest, cool-down areas, and training.
To prevent heat illness at outdoor worksites, the law requires employers to provide fresh water, access to shade (which must be in place when the temperature reaches 80 degrees or higher) and, whenever requested by a worker, cool-down rest breaks in addition to regular breaks. In the agricultural industry, when the temperature at outdoor worksites reaches or exceeds 95 degrees, Cal/OSHA’s standard requires additional protections. High-heat procedures include ensuring employees are observed regularly for signs of heat illness and establishing effective communication methods.
Employers in indoor and outdoor settings must also maintain a written prevention plan with effective training for supervisors to recognize the common signs and symptoms of heat illness, and what to do in case of an emergency.
Additional Resources for Employers
Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention special emphasis program includes enforcement of the heat standards as well as multilingual outreach and training programs for California’s employers and workers.
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.
Cal/OSHA has also established the Heat Illness Prevention (HIP) Network, a voluntary partnership aimed at increasing awareness among employers and workers about the importance of taking steps to prevent work-related illnesses and fatalities. To join the HIP Network email [email protected].