Heat Illness Regulation

Updated: March 2023

UPDATE: Cal/OSHA Appeals Board Clarifies Meaning of as Close as Practicable for Providing Drinking Water to Outdoor Employees

For agricultural employers, the latest decision from the Department of Industrial Relations’ Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board (OSHAB) is indeed noteworthy.  You can read more here.

Oregon OSHA Publishes Farm Worker Heat Illness Protection Rule: Beginning August 9, 2021, Oregon farm employers will be required to implement protections against high ambient temperatures in employer-provided farm employee housing as a supplement to 2021 emergency heat illness rules.  The new farm employee housing rules require employers to maintain a temperature of no more than 78 degrees Fahrenheit in sleeping rooms and provide cooling areas for housing occupants to cool off when the heat index outside the housing reaches or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The new rule, supplementing Oregon’s existing heat illness prevention rules, will be effective for 6 months.  

The Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety has created all-new training materials for agricultural employers to use in conducting training required by the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Standard (HIP); these include:

  • Employer Training Discussion Guides, Visual Aids, and Cal/OSHA Illustrated Poster
  • Heat Illness Prevention Accordion Pocket Card for Agricultural Workers 
  • Heat Illness Prevention Videos: A farm owner, farmworker, and an agricultural economist discuss the importance of protecting workers from the heat. 

For more information, please contact the Western Center here for written materials, and here for videos.

Heat Illness Prevention and Compliance With Cal/OSHA’s HIP Standard 

Agricultural employers should be prepared  to protect outdoor workers and to be in full compliance with the Heat Illness Prevention standard.  Some basic points to remember:

  • Be sure shade is available on demand when the temperature is below 80 degrees F;
  • Shade must be provided at all times when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees F;
  • Shade must be easy for employees to reach, and placement of shade should not deter access or use; 
  • Employees must not be required to encounter obstacles or hazards or unreasonably unpleasant conditions to reach or use shade;
  • Shade must be provided to all employees on a rest or meal break, except those who choose to take a meal break elsewhere;
  • Fresh, pure, and suitably cool water must be made available in sufficient quantities (replenishment is permissible) to allow each employee to drink one quart per hour;
  • Water must be provided as close as practicable to location of work;
  • Employees must be trained about heat illness and the Cal/OSHA Heat Illness Prevention (HIP) Standard before they work in conditions where they might be exposed to heat (Note: FELS’ video Heat Stress Prevention  10% off through July 31; buy the video with a set of FELS’ Employment Notifications Postersand get an additional 15% off);
  • Supervisors must be additionally trained in HIP compliance procedures, emergency responses, and ensuring effective communication to facilitate emergency response.
  • A written copy of your HIP program in English and the language understood by the majority of the employees and be available to employees and Cal/OSHA inspectors on request — this is the most frequently-cited part of the HIP standard — and probably the most easily-avoided HIP citation!
  • Remember: When temperatures exceed 95 degrees, employers must implement “high heat” procedures, including a mandatory 10 minute break every two hours (meal and rest periods can serve as these breaks, but if employees work beyond eight hours or waive meal or rest periods, you must still ensure the mandatory rest break occurs).