It’s Time to Review Your Heat Illness Prevention Plan

The Summer of 2023 went on record as the hottest of all time according to NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other members of the scientific community. Whether you blame global warming, El Niño, Zeus, or no one in particular, Summer 2024 is nearly upon us and chances are it will be hot in the Golden State.

Heat Illness Protection requirements recently made national headlines when Florida joined Texas in rolling back protections for people who work outdoors. However, California continues to be at the forefront of employee safety, after being the first state to put outdoor heat illness prevention measures into law almost two decades ago.

Cal/OSHA has renewed its focus on Heat Illness Prevention in indoor places of employment. As recently as March it appeared that Cal/OSHA was ready to adopt rules requiring employers to provide protections against excessive heat in indoor workspaces before the process was halted by state financial officials asking for more time to analyze the financial impacts of those rules.

Some of the highlights of the proposed-but-still-pending rules for indoor heat illness protection include:

1. Monitoring employees and providing cooling areas when indoor temperatures reach or surpass 82 degrees
2. Cooling the broader work site, allocating more breaks, rotating workers or making other adjustments when temperatures climb to 87 degrees or workers are made to work near hot equipment

Traditionally, agriculture, construction and landscaping have been the focus of heat illness prevention measures, but other industries should take precautionary measures as well. Knowing the signs of heat illness and how to react are essential in preventing a workplace tragedy.

Warning Signs

Whether it occurs indoors or outdoors, Heat Illness can present itself as either heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Heat exhaustion occurs when a person cannot sweat enough to cool their body. This is usually the result of not drinking enough fluids during hot temperatures. Heatstroke is the result of untreated heat exhaustion and is a serious medical emergency which often requires medical treatment.

Early symptoms of heat illness can include dizziness, nausea/vomiting, confusion, cramps, red dry skin, elevated heart rate and convulsions or fainting. Ignoring the early warning signs and not providing adequate care may lead to brain damage, as well as damage to other organs or death.

Outdoor Heat Illness Prevention Requirements

Cal/OSHA requires that employers with outdoor workers in all industries take the following steps to prevent heat illness:

1. Plan: Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures.
2. Training: Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention.
3. Water: Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so each worker can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage workers to do so.
4. Rest: Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need to do so to protect themselves from overheating. Workers should not wait until they feel sick to cool down.
5. Shade: Provide proper shade when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Workers have the right to request and be provided shade to cool off at any time.

CEA can help employers comply with Cal/OSHA requirements and keep their employees safe. We offer onsite training for your workforce in both English and Spanish to help keep your employees safe and your company out of trouble. We also have safety partners with years of knowledge that can help with your Heat Illness Prevention Plan, IIPP, WVPP or any other safety concern.