7 Rules for Heat Illness Prevention in CA

Working in a hot environment can be bad for your health. Unfortunately, some employees are forced to work in the heat to the point of getting sick.

California has now laid down a few rules to help prevent heat illnesses caused by working in the high temperatures.

Work-Related Heat Illnesses Are Common And Potentially Serious

Between 2016 and 2021, more than 4,300 people in California went to the emergency department for work-related heat illnesses, according to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Many more workers treated their job-related heat illnesses at home, at their workplace, or in a healthcare setting other than an emergency department.

Heat-Related Illnesses Include:

• Heat stroke – happens when the body cannot cool itself down
• Heat exhaustion – the body’s response to excessive sweating
• Rhabdomyolysis – muscle tissue dies, then releases toxins into the bloodstream
• Fainting or dizziness
• Painful muscle cramps
• Heat rash

California employers must protect their workers from these heat-related illnesses.

The 7 Rules Reducing Heat-Related Illnesses In California Workplaces

When the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 3396, “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment” in June 2024, they set several rules to keep workers safer from heat-related illnesses.

These standards apply to most indoor businesses in California in which temperatures can reach dangerously warm levels, such as:

• Restaurants
• Warehouses
• Manufacturing facilities

1. Employers Must Have A Plan

Employers must create a written plan to prevent heat illnesses, and the plan must be customized to the individual workplace. It must include a way to measure and record the temperature or heat index (whichever is higher). Also known as “feels like temperature,” heat index considers both temperature and humidity. The plan must also detail the procedures they’ll use to protect employees when temperatures reach 82°F or higher.

2. Employers Must Provide Water

Employers must provide access to free, drinkable, suitably cool water. This water must be in cool-down areas and as close to the work area as possible.

3. Employees Must Have Access To Cool-Down Areas

Employers must provide access to cool-down areas that are less than 82°F and large enough to accommodate several workers sitting normally without touching, whenever possible. Failure to provide cool-down breaks is a violation of the labor code, and the employer may be required to pay an hour’s wages to the employee each day that a recovery period is not provided.

4. Employers Must Develop An Emergency Response Plan

Workers need an effective communication system so that they can alert a supervisor or contact emergency medical services if necessary. Employers must also develop emergency procedures to help workers showing signs of heat illness.

5. Provide Acclimatization When Necessary

New employees and employees returning from an absence may need time to get used to the warm environment, a process known as acclimatization.

6. Heat Illness Prevention Training Is Essential

Employers must train all workers and supervisors in the prevention and recognition of heat-related illness

7. When Temperatures Rise Even Higher, Employers Must Take Additional Actions

California law requires employers to take additional actions when the indoor air temperature reaches 87°F, or if the indoor air temperature reaches 82°F and the worker is wearing clothing that doesn’t allow the body to cool, or they work in a hot area of the building.

When One Of Those Two Things Happens, Employers must:

• Measure and record indoor temperatures for a year
• Consider any environmental factors that contribute to heat illness
• Enlist the help of employees or others to measure/record temperatures and environmental factors
• Take steps to reduce the temperature/heat index by engineering structural changes in the workplace
• When engineering changes are not possible, consider rotating employees, rescheduling work, reducing work intensity, or other administrative changes
• When engineering or administrative changes are not enough, employers should provide personal heat-protective equipment, such as vests filled with ice packs, uniforms featuring fabrics that allow air movement to cool the skin, or portable battery-powered fans

Has Your Employer Put You In Danger Of A Heat-Related Illness On The Job? Contact Your California Employment Lawyer At D.Law!

California law requires all employers to protect their workers from heat-related illnesses. If your boss refuses to protect you, contact D.Law. Our attorneys are experts in California employment law and workers’ rights, so we can help you stay safe on the job in the Bay Area, San Diego, Fresno, Los Angeles, and other CA cities.