In mid-November 2023, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board issued its Second Notice of Proposed Modifications for California’s proposed indoor heat illness regulations.
The first draft of the indoor heat illness regulations was published in spring 2023. After receiving feedback from stakeholders and staff, the board made some revisions leading to this second draft, according to law firm Jackson Lewis.
The proposed modifications to the indoor heat illness regulations include:
- clarifying that compliance isn’t required for incidental heat exposure involving employees exposed to temperatures above 82 degrees for under 15 minutes during any 60-minute period
- adding a definition for “high radiant heat source,” which is any source of radiant heat “that, if not shielded, would raise the globe temperature of the cool-down area” 5 degrees or greater than the dry bulb temperature of the cool-down area
- adding details that measuring temperature and heat index should be done where employees work and when their exposures are expected to be greatest during their shift, and
- clarifying that indoor heat illness prevention may be added to training on heat illness prevention for outdoor employment in cases where employees are affected by both.
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is accepting written comments on these changes until Nov. 28, 2023. Comments can be sent by mail to the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, 2520 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 350, Sacramento, California 95833 or e-mailed to oshsb@dir.ca.gov.
