California’s new “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment” standard is now in effect as of July 23, 2024. The new regulation applies to most California workplaces where the indoor temperature reaches 82F or higher (e.g., warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and restaurants). The standard requires those employers to implement a written indoor heat illness prevention plan that includes procedures for accessing water and cool-down areas, acclimatization, training employees, and emergency response measures. Covered employers who have not already drafted and implemented their plan should do so immediately.
1. Background
The adoption of an indoor heat illness prevention standard has been on the “to-do list” of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) for a long time. Cal/OSHA first instituted a heat illness prevention standard for outdoor workplaces (California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 3395) back in 2006. Ten years later, as a result of the passage of Senate Bill 1167, Cal/OSHA was tasked with establishing a similar standard for workers in indoor places of employment by January 1, 2019. The Board finally approved the “Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Places of Employment” standard (California Code of Regulations, Title 8, section 3396) (“Section 3396”) on June 20, 2024, and requested that the Office of Administrative Law (“OAL”) to (1) expedite approval of the new indoor heat illness prevention standard...
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