In October 2016, California Governor Brown signed and approved Senate Bill 1167 which went into effect on January 1, 2017. The law directs Cal/OSHA to draft and propose heat illness and injury prevention standards for indoor workplaces by January 1, 2019. Specifically, the legislation adds Labor Code Section 6720, which states in relevant part:

By January 1, 2019, the division shall propose to the standards board for the board’s review and adoption a standard that minimizes heat-related illness and injury among workers working in indoor places of employment. The standard shall be based on environmental temperatures, work activity levels, and other factors.

Although this law proposes new regulatory activity in this area, it is not new news for California employers. California has an active outdoor workplace heat illness standard since 2006. Moreover, in the past several years Cal/OSHA and other agencies have initiated either training or enforcement to protect workers against indoor heat illness.

In 2012, the Division issued two serious citations and the Appeals Board confirmed the citations to two joint employers for violation of the Injury and Illness Prevention Standard because an employee sustained injuries due to heat illness while working indoors. In its Decision the Appeals Board evaluated several factors including ventilation of the facility, access to water, types of machines and whether they generate heat, whether there is an air condition system, whether the work performed by employees is fast pace, the breaks or recovery periods provided to employees, and whether there is a period of acclimatization provided to employees. National Distribution Center, Cal/OSHA App. 12-R6D2-0391, 12-R6D2-0378, Decision After Reconsideration (Oct. 5, 2015).  The Appeals Board held that it was appropriate for the Division to issue citations to employers for indoor heat illness under the Injury Illness Prevention regulation.

On February 28, 2016, the Division submitted a proposed draft of the language of a new regulation during an advisory meeting. Key take-aways from the Division’s initial thinking include:

• The regulation would apply to (1) indoor places of employment where the dry bulb temperature exceeds 90 degrees or (2) where employees perform moderate, heavy, or very heavy work and the dry bulb temperature exceeds 80 degrees.

• The Division would evaluate what type of clothing employees are wearing

• The Division would evaluate the type of work performed by employees. The Division would critically analyze if employees perform moderate, heavy, or very heavy work to determine whether there is a violation of heat illness.

• The Division would be more critical of high radiant heat work areas like foundries, brick-firing and ceramic plants, glass factories, vehicle manufacturing plants, rubber manufacturing plants, electrical utility rooms, electric power cogeneration facilities, boiler rooms, industrial scale bakeries, commercial kitchens, industrial scale laundries, food canneries, chemical plants, mining sites, smelters, and steam tunnels.

• The Division would expect all employers to have a Heat Illness Prevention Plan that specifically identifies Indoor Heat Illness Prevention including procedures to involve employees in developing and implementing the plan, procedures to identify heat hazards, rest and hydration procedures, first-aid and emergency procedures, engineering and administrative control measures used to control indoor heat, and training programs.

Even though the official regulation has not been drafted or implemented, employers are advised to start examining their indoor environments for potential heat stress issues and how their operations may be impacted by an indoor heat stress rule.