Heat Illness Prevention in California
The California Labor Laws are strict and clear about the rights of employees. They seek to safeguard their welfare in terms of wages, leave of absence, discrimination as well as their health among other issues. Universal healthcare is everyone’s right. However, protecting individuals from getting sick or suffering from preventable health-related issues is much better.
After all, prevention is better than cure. California employers and employees should familiarize themselves with the California Code of Regulations Title 8, section 3395, the Heat Illness Prevention program. Besides, legal knowledge is everyone’s right. In addition to that, a healthy and happy workforce is a productive workforce.
Heat Illness Prevention Program
The heat illness prevention program seeks to safeguard and protect the health of outdoor workers such as irrigation workers, ground equipment operators, athletic field workers, pool technicians and maintenance workers against environmental risk factors which can place individuals at the risk of heat-related illnesses. The environmental factors which place one at risk of heat illness include protective clothing worn by employees, relative humidity, workload severity, air temperature and heat from the sun and other sources.
Heat illness is a serious medical condition that results from the body being incapable of dealing with a particular heat load. It may lead to serious medical conditions such as heat cramps, heat rash, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and fainting.
California Employer Requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws and regulations require that employers provide workplaces that are safe from hazards which include protecting employees from extreme heat. Employers should establish a heat illness prevention program as well as educate their employees on heat illness.
California employers are required to provide their workers with shade which should be within a two and a half minute walk and no more than a five-minute walk or ¼ mile away. Employers are expected to allow their workers to rest frequently as well as provide them with water.
They should also be ready for emergencies and are expected to train their workers on first aid in case of heat illness. Employers are expected to monitor signs of heat illness and train their employees on the prevention of heat illness. Preventing heat illness includes allowing employees to take frequent breaks from outdoor heat from the sun or other indoor sources.
Employers are expected to gradually increase the workload of new employees under the sun for them to slowly adopt or build a tolerance for working in the heat. They should also monitor the weather; high temperatures, as well as the combination of humidity and heat, is dangerous for employees. They should also schedule strenuous outdoor activities for cooler times of the day.
Frequent rest periods should be allowed when the temperatures are higher. Employers should also provide or allow their employees to wear light clothing. Most importantly, they should provide enough water or liquids which should be taken every 15-20 minutes even if one is not thirsty to keep the body hydrated.
Workers should drink a minimum of a quart of water every hour. Employers should ensure that new recruits or employees returning from a vacation or leave should be allowed to have an acclimatization period.
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