California’s Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard Approved: What You Need to Know

Author, Megan Lockhart, Client Communications Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

Recently, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board approved new requirements for California businesses, heat illness prevention for indoor work spaces. The new Section 3396 addition to the California Labor Code will go into effect as early as August 1, 2024.

 The law states that requirements apply to “all indoor work areas where the temperature equals or exceeds 82 degrees Fahrenheit when employees are present.”

 For work environments such as warehouses, restaurants, and manufacturing plants, temperatures can rise dangerously high, putting employees at risk for heat illness. Let’s take a look into the new requirements for employers. 

1. Provide access to cool-down areas, and encourage employees to take cool-down rests.

2. Provide access to potable water that is fresh, suitably cool, free of charge, and located as close as possible to indoor cool-down area.

3. Monitor employee symptoms and provide appropriate first aid and emergency response if they exhibit or report signs of heat illness.

4. Closely observe new employees for the first 14 days of employment as they acclimatize.

5. Provide employees and supervisors with training on topics such as heat risk factors, symptoms of heat illness, water consumption, and emergency procedures.

6. Establish, implement and maintain a written Heat Illness Prevention plan for the work environment.

Some additional requirements also apply when the temperature or heat index reaches or exceeds 87 degrees while employers are present, or the temperature reaches or exceeds 82 degrees and employees wear clothing that restricts heat removal or they work in a high radiant heat area.

 In these cases, employers need to maintain records of their indoor temperature or heat index. They also must initiate engineering, administrative, and personal control measures to reduce the indoor working environment and maintain it below 87 degrees.

 As temperatures continue to soar in many parts of California, employers with employees working indoors in high heat conditions should evaluate their current heat policies to ensure they comply with these impending labor law changes.

 For further information about indoor heat illness prevention compliance, clients should refer to the Cal/OSHA website, which offers resources employers can utilize, including a Sample Written Heat Illness Prevention Plan for Indoor and Outdoor Places of Employment (Model Program). 

Empower Your Crew: The Importance of Heat Illness Training and Preparedness

Author, Greg Garcia, Account Executive, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

As the calendar turns to April and warmer weather into spring time, now is a great time to take a look at your current Heat Illness Prevention Plan (HIPP), as well as make sure all crew members are up to date on their heat illness training.

As the months get hotter, it is important to remember three things: water, rest and shade. It is crucial that crews have access to all three. Adequate water for all crew members, regular rest periods, and identified shade areas around the jobsite or a portable canopy are all considered best practices, and when temperatures heat up, are often a requirement.

With rising temperatures, we anticipate, as has been the case in the past, there will also be a rise in heat-related injuries within the landscape industry. Having an HIPP not only will keep you compliant with state regulations, but more importantly keep your employees safe.

There are certain criteria and templates that all HIPP need to follow. For example, they need to be written, they need to be available in English as well as any other languages that are used at the company. And finally, it needs to be available at the worksite. The HIPP should include:

• Procedures supplying and accessing water

• High heat procedures

• Emergency response

• Acclimatization methods and procedures.

It is also important that leaders including foreman keep a regular eye on the crew, looking for signs of heat stress. The signs could be as minor as rashes or cramping to as severe as fainting. Any signs of this with a crew member should be reported immediately.

Knowing the hotter months are coming, now is a great time to dive into your company’s HIPP, make any updates to it, and begin to stress the importance of heat illness prevention.

Rancho Mesa clients can train their employees on heat stress and heat illness prevention with both online courses in English and Spanish, and a variety of toolbox talks in the SafetyOne™ website and mobile app.  Clients can distribute their HIPP through the mobile app ensuring foreman and crews have access to the document along with any other related resources when they’re at the jobsite.

Every year, Rancho Mesa hosts Heat Illness Prevention workshops and webinars to assist in educating clients and their employees. A recorded version of the workshop can be accessed online.

Contact me at ggarcia@ranchomesa.com or (619) 438-6905 to discuss how to mitigate heat illness and other potential risks.

OSHA Issues Heat Hazard Alert: Preparing for the Heat Wave

Author, Megan Lockhart, Media Communications and Client Services Coordinator, Rancho Mesa Insurance Services, Inc.

California can experience high heat in the late Summer and early Fall months, which increases the risk of heat illness for employees working outside.

OSHA has issued a heat hazard alert, reminding companies of their responsibility to protect employees from heat illness this time of year. The U.S. Department of Labor also announced stricter enforcement for heat-related violations and increasing inspections in the construction and landscape industries.

To help employers prepare for this, we've added more dates to our Heat Illness Prevention webinar to help keep employees safe. Register for one of the webinars in the coming months to learn how to best protect employees and reduce the risk of claims.

Additionally, clients can view SafetyOne™’s Extreme Heat Checklist that covers best practices to follow before and during heat exposure, as well as protocol for heat illness incidents.