California’s new Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment standard has become effective, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) announced July 24. The indoor heat standard applies to most indoor workplaces, such as manufacturing facilities, restaurants, and warehouses.
In indoor workplaces where the temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit, employers must take steps to protect workers from heat illness. Employer requirements under the state standard include providing water, cooldown areas, rest, and training.
Additional requirements, such as cooling down work areas, implementing work-rest schedules, and providing personal heat-protective equipment, apply when the temperature reaches 87 degrees. Where workers wear clothing that restricts heat removal or work in high-radiant-heat areas, additional requirements apply at 82 degrees.
The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved the new indoor heat standard on June 20.
California employers that have both indoor and outdoor workplaces may be covered by both indoor and outdoor regulations. The agency has compiled a Comparison Chart of Indoor and Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Standards for employer assistance.
Exemptions from the indoor heat regulation include local and state correctional facilities, as well as emergency operations directly involved in the protection of life or property. Cal/OSHA is in the process of developing an industry-specific regulation for local and state correctional facilities to protect their workers from indoor heat hazards.
Cal/OSHA enforces workplace safety and health standards in both government (state and local) and private sector workplaces.
“This regulation provides protections for workers across California and helps prepare employers to deal with the challenges of rising temperatures in indoor environments,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Debra Lee.
On July 2, federal OSHA released text of a proposed heat injury and illness prevention standard for both indoor and outdoor workplaces. The proposal hasn’t yet appeared in the Federal Register, initiating a formal comment period.