Did you know that Cal/OSHA and the state of California have specific requirements that employers need to take in order to prevent heat illness? Too busy focusing on the day to day operation to also focus on “other issues?”

The state of California has made heat illness prevention a high priority since the weather has recently turned unseasonably warm and temperatures are expected to be close to 100 degrees over the next several days.

That’s part of the problem. Most employers are too busy focusing on their businesses and what’s important to their business success to also focus on regulatory responsibilities that they ALSO have to take care of from a legal and risk management perspective.

For instance, Cal/OSHA and the state of California require that California employers with any outdoor places of employment comply with the Heat Illness Prevention Standard T8 CCR 3395. Employers are also required to have in place an overall Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) under T8 CCR 3203.

In a nutshell, California employers must take the following 4 steps to prevent heat related illness:

1)    Training – Train all employees and supervisors about heat illness prevention.

2)    Water – Provide enough fresh water so that each employee can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage them to do so.

3)    Shade – Provide access to shade for at least 5 minutes of rest when an employee believes he or she needs a preventive recovery period. They should not wait until they feel sick to do so.

4)    Planning – Develop and implement written procedures for complying with the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Standard.

If you’re an employer, do you have all of these in place? Cal/OSHA and the California Department of Industrial Relations require you to, and this is another example of what employers need to do while trying to survive the current business and economic climate.

Need help navigating through the current OSHA and state regulations? If you’re not sure whether or not you’re in compliance, or need help getting your program in place, give us a call or send us an email. We’re here to help you succeed.