California’s worker heat standards led to fewer work-related injuries on hot days, a new study from the Workers Compensation Research Institute found.
The WCRI study, Impact of California’s Heat Standard on Workers’ Compensation Outcomes, measured how California’s heat standard impacted the frequency of injuries in heat-exposed occupations like construction, agriculture and transportation.
Related: How Much Does a Heat Wave Cost? Insurers and CEOs Want to Know
The state’s heat standard requires employers to provide water, shade, rest breaks, acclimatization plans and emergency response protocols during excessive heat.
According to WCRI, heat-related illnesses are 11 to 18 times more frequent on days above 95°F compared with days between 75 and 80°F, yet they represent 20% to 25% of all injuries attributable to heat.
In 2005, after several deaths of agricultural workers due to heat, California implemented emergency outdoor heat regulations. They were expanded to include indoor workplaces in 2024.
The core components of the heat standard include:
- Access to water: Employers must provide at least one quart of cool, free, potable water per worker per hour, located close to where they work.
- Access to shade: Workers must be allowed to rest in shade at any time.If the temperature reaches 80 °F or higher, shade must be made available for all during breaks.
- High-heat procedures (greater than 95 °F): In specified industries, such as agriculture, construction, landscaping, and oil and gas, additional rules apply. Those include buddy systems or monitoring, water reminders, supervisor contact and extra breaks.
- Emergency response and heat-illness prevention plan: Employers must ensure communication with emergency services, first-aid protocols, transport ill workers to cooler locations, and maintain a written Heat Illness Prevention Plan.
- Acclimatization protocols: Workers new to high heat exposures or that are starting shifts during heat waves should be monitored especially for the first 14 days.
- Training: Workers must be trained on types of heat illnesses, symptoms, prevention, hydration, acclimatization, employer obligations and how to report heat illness. Supervisors receive training on how to monitor conditions, weather, employee symptoms and implementing standard procedures.
Topics California
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