It’s getting hot(ter) out there! The National Weather Service and Cal/OSHA are encouraging all employers with outdoor workers to review their heat illness prevention plan and protect their employees ahead of excessive heat in throughout California. The National Weather Service is forecasting triple-digit temperatures in the counties of Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Tulare, and the greater Los Angeles/Oxnard area and has issued a heat advisory.
This weekend the National Weather Service is forecasting even higher temperatures and has issued an excessive heat watch in the San Francisco Bay/Monterey areas and in Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare Counties.
California’s heat illness prevention regulation requires employers with outdoor workers to take the following four steps to prevent heat illness:
- Plan – Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures.
- Training – Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention.
- Water – Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage workers to do so.
- Shade – Provide shade when workers request it and when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes. They should not wait until they feel sick to cool down.
Details on heat illness prevention requirements and training materials are available online on Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention web page and the 99calor.org informational website. A Heat Illness Prevention online tool is also available on Cal/OSHA’s website.
Cal/OSHA helps protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job in almost every workplace in California. Employers and workers who have questions or need assistance with workplace health and safety programs can call Cal/OSHA’s Consultation Services Branch at 1-800-963-9424.
