(November 4, 2010) The Office of Administrative Law recently approved and revised heat illness regulations, which go into effect today.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) Standards Board unanimously adopted Division of Occupational Safety and Health-recommended revisions providing needed clarity to the state’s heat illness prevention standard in August.
California Chamber of Commerce Policy Advocate Marti Fisher was among those presenting an employer perspective when the Cal/OSHA Standards Board met in Sacramento on August 19 to review several amendments to the state’s heat illness standard. The CalChamber supports the amended regulations and sees them as a balanced approach to protecting the health and safety of outdoor workers while recognizing the realities of outdoor workplaces for employers.
In summary, the rulemaking package institutes "shade up" provisions when the temperatures reach 85 degrees Fahrenheit, "high-heat" procedures at 95 degrees Fahrenheit, clarifies what constitutes a "shade break" and creates exemptions from the shade-up requirement for employers for whom it is not feasible, providing the alternative is just as effective as shade. The amendments also require that employees on the job for 14 days or less be closely supervised, unless they prove they are accustomed to working on hot days.
These rules apply to all outdoor workplaces, except the high heat provisions, which apply only to agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction, and transportation of various industrial products.
The full text of the revised heat illness standards is on the Department of Industrial Relations website.
California became the first state in the nation to adopt a comprehensive heat illness prevention standard for outdoor workers in July 2006. The regulations, implemented by Cal/OSHA, mandated training for employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention, symptoms and treatment. The regulations apply to all companies with employees working in outdoor places of employment. In addition to the training requirements, employers must provide potable drinking water, access to shade, and compile heat illness prevention procedures, including employee training, in writing.
Staff Contact: Marti Fisher