What can I do to protect my employees from the effects of working in high temperatures?

Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, Sections 3395 and 3396, Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention regulations, apply to all outdoor places of employment and indoor places of employment in which the temperature reaches or exceeds 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Covered employers have specific obligations to comply with California's heat illness regulations, including training and documentation requirements. Heat illness can progress rapidly.

Employers are responsible to provide water, shade (outdoors) or cool-down areas (indoors), cool-down rests and procedures for first aid and responding to emergencies, among other requirements.

In outdoor settings, when the temperature reaches 95 degrees, additional requirements must be met by specific industries:

• Agriculture
• Construction
• Landscaping
• Oil and gas extraction, and
• Transportation and delivery of agricultural products, construction materials or other heavy materials. There is an exemption for employees who are not performing loading or unloading duties but who are operating an air conditioned vehicle.

If you have employees that work outdoors, or indoors in areas that reach or exceed 82 degrees Fahrenheit, review Heat Illness in the HR Library. For additional information, click on "Heat Illness Prevention" on Cal/OSHA's website.