Cal/OSHA issued a reminder to all employers to protect workers from heat illness as a dangerous heat wave is forecast to impact California in mid-July 2023.
Specifically, the state agency has zeroed in on July 12-18 as a time of increased risk “for workers to suffer heat illness in the areas identified by the National Weather Service.”
California has a heat illness prevention standard and inspectors are “out in full force, conducting targeted high-heat inspections with a focus on construction, agriculture, landscaping and warehouse industries to ensure employers are complying with the law,” Cal/OSHA Chief Jeff Killip said.
For indoor workplaces, employers must correct unsafe conditions for workers created by heat as part of their Injury and Illness Prevention Program.
The state’s heat illness prevention standard requires employers with outdoor workers in all industries to encourage workers to understand and exercise their rights related to heat illness prevention, such as taking cool-down breaks when necessary.
Employers with outdoor workers are also required to take the following steps to prevent heat illness:
- Plan: Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures.
- Train: Provide training to 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 1 quart 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.
More information on Cal/OSHA’s heat illness prevention standard can be found here. A heat illness prevention tool is also available on the Cal/OSHA website.
