OSHA News

Cal/OSHA Urges Employers to Prepare for Sizzling Temperatures

(June 14, 2007)-- As California heads into the hot summer months, Cal/OSHA urges all employers to revisit their Injury and Illness Prevention Programs and their emergency response procedures to make sure they are thoroughly prepared for heat waves.

Under the new heat illness prevention regulation, employers are required to take four basic steps to prevent heat illness at all outdoor worksites including developing and implementing written procedures on heat illness prevention, and providing heat illness training to all employees. In addition, they must make water and access to shade or a cool area out of the sun readily available, while encouraging each employee to drink four 8-ounce cups of fresh water per hour.

Employees who work indoors should be protected with similar measures under their employers’ Injury and Illness Prevention Program.

“It cannot be overstated how important it is to track weather information in real time and to be ready for extraordinary heat,” said acting Cal/OSHA Chief Len Welsh. “Whenever temperatures start to rise into the high 90’s and above, it's time to pay close attention to the effects of the heat on employees who don’t work in air conditioned environments, particularly those who engage in physical or strenuous activity.”

Summer was a sizzler in 2006. But with Governor Schwarzenegger’s full support, California adopted and implemented the first-in-the-nation outdoor workplace heat illness prevention regulations, reducing heat-related deaths in the workplace by one-third -- from 12 in 2005 to 8 in 2006.

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