| On July 31, California's Department of Industrial | | | | protect outdoor workers in 2006. The Regulations |
| Relations' (DIR) Division of Occupational Safety and | | | | address such topics as shade requirements, drinking |
| Health (Cal/OSHA) filed a proposal with the | | | | water requirements, heat illness training requirements |
| Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to | | | | and other related subtopics. They require that the |
| amend the state's heat illness prevention regulations, | | | | employer make shade available, provide drinking water, |
| which follows the July 16 request by Governor | | | | provide training to both supervisors and workers, and |
| Schwarzenegger to strengthen and improve the | | | | requires that the written heat illness prevention |
| standards to protect outdoor workers from the hot | | | | program include a plan for summoning emergency |
| summer sun. | | | | responders. |
| | | | | |
| Besides, the state budget just signed has authorized | | | | "Today we are moving to clarify amendments to the |
| the spending of $1.5 million to expand upon the efforts | | | | standards and to ensure that we provide the |
| already in place to educate workers and employers | | | | necessary measures to improve upon our first in the |
| about the necessity of heat illness prevention. This | | | | nation regulation to protect outdoor workers from the |
| was the expanding outreach to train outdoor workers | | | | summer heat," said DIR Director John C. Duncan. "This |
| and employers, and will help to expand Cal/OSHA's | | | | package will, among other things, include a requirement |
| successful participation and partnership with industry, | | | | for shade to be present at all times and a trigger for |
| labor, and community groups. | | | | shade to be up when the temperature exceeds 85 |
| | | | | degrees. It also makes it clear that employees have |
| Under the Governor’s leadership, California was the | | | | the right to take a rest in the shade whenever they |
| first state in the nation to develop a safety and health | | | | feel the need to do so to prevent themselves from |
| regulation addressing heat illness in 2005. Cal/OSHA | | | | overheating. |
| issued permanent heat illness prevention regulations to | | | | |