On September 9, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reminded the state’s employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. The Line Fire is currently affecting air quality in California’s Inland Empire, the areas around San Bernardino and Riverside.
Cal/OSHA’s Protection from Wildfire Smoke standard requires employers to protect workers from unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. The standard’s requirements include informing employees of the air quality index (AQI) for particulate matter (PM2.5) and available protective measures, providing instruction and training about wildfire smoke’s health effects and steps for protection, and providing respiratory protection for voluntary use.
California employers must monitor the AQI for PM2.5 before and throughout the work shift and modify work, if necessary, or provide N95 respirators for voluntary use.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow website tracks AQI data.
Cal/OSHA employer assistance materials for wildfire smoke safety include the following:
- Protecting Workers Exposed to Wildfire Smoke Fact Sheet
- Spanish fact sheet
- Chinese (simplified) fact sheet
- Worker Safety: Wildfire and Evacuation Zones Infographic
- Spanish infographic
- Chinese (simplified) infographic
- Wildfire Smoke Safety training video
- Spanish training video
Last week, Cal/OSHA urged employers to protect workers from heat illness during a heat wave. The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted an indoor heat standard this summer to complement the state’s outdoor heat illness prevention standard. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a proposed heat illness prevention standard on August 30. Comments on the federal proposal are due December 30.