Summer in California comes with its own set of compliance obligations. Whether your team works outdoors or inside a kitchen, salon, or warehouse, Cal/OSHA has rules about heat heading into the hottest months of the year.
California’s heat illness prevention regulations cover both indoor and outdoor workplaces, and the requirements apply broadly across industries. All employers with employees exposed to high temperature thresholds need a plan. At a minimum, a written heat illness prevention plan should include documented training for employees and supervisors, a designated cool-down area, and procedures for responding to a heat-related emergency. If you already have an Injury and Illness Prevention Plan, your heat illness procedures can be folded into that document.
One requirement worth calling out specifically is the cool-down recovery period. Employees must be allowed to take a preventive cool-down rest when they feel they need one, and employers must monitor them during that time. Failing to provide it is treated as a wage and hour violation, just like a missed meal or rest break. That makes it fair game for individual claims or a PAGA action. If you attended our recent webinar on avoiding the PAGA trap, this one is worth flagging.
Heat Illness Prevention Standards
California has separate heat illness prevention regulations for indoor and outdoor workplaces, let’s take a look at both.
The outdoor standard applies to any employer with workers outside and kicks in when temperatures reach 80 degrees. At that point, employers must provide shade, cool water, and rest breaks. When it hits 95 degrees, additional “high-heat procedures” are required, including more frequent check-ins with employees and reminders to hydrate. This is the standard that matters most for contractors, vineyard and agricultural operations, landscapers, and anyone whose team works outside. This includes servers and bussers working outdoor dining areas, which are subject to the outdoor standard regardless of proximity to the indoor space.
The indoor standard applies to any employer where indoor work areas reach 82 degrees or above while employees are present. Restaurants, tasting rooms, manufacturing floors, salons, and any workspace that heats up in summer should pay close attention. At 82 degrees, you need a written Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Plan, cool water near the work area, a cool-down rest area kept below 82 degrees, and training for all employees. At 87 degrees, additional hazard assessment and engineering controls come into play.
Some of you fall under both standards. A winery with vineyard crews and an indoor production facility, or a contractor with shop workers and field crews, needs to be thinking about both simultaneously.
Our Advice
Do not wait for a heat wave to pull this together. Review your current safety documentation now, confirm your cool-down areas are set up and functional, and make sure supervisors know what to do if someone shows symptoms. The exposure for non-compliance extends to employee claims, wage and hour liability, and workers’ compensation risk.
As your employment counsel, we are here to help you work through this before it becomes a problem. Reach out if you have questions or want us to take a look at where your business stands.
Helpful Resources
- Heat Illness Prevention in Indoor Workplaces
- Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Workplaces
