Southern California has millions of laborers who work in severe outdoor conditions. The California Labor Code protects outdoor employees from suffering under the intense heat that can exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The state also provides various programs to help workers if they become sick or injured.
Programs to prevent workplace illness
There are certain industries that are required by the California Labor Code to follow heat illness prevention techniques in the workplace. The workers frequently work long hours outdoors and cannot tolerate extreme heat. In addition, hazardous materials and chemicals may become more dangerous after being exposed to excessive heat. These industries include:
• Construction
• Agriculture
• Oil and gas
• Landscape
• Transportation of heavy materials
Californian employers are recommended to incorporate heat illness prevention methods in their company’s policy handbooks and illness prevention programs. They have to acknowledge the environmental risk factors that could increase the development of heat illness. These factors include heat temperature, relative humidity, and heat from the sun along with heavy workloads, long work hours, and heavy equipment is worn by the workers.
provided by state law
Workers’ compensation includes coverage for heat illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Through the workers’ comp program, employers are prevented from being sued if they fail to provide safe working conditions, and the program allows them to provide regular, long-term payments to sick or injured workers.
Laws to protect employee health and safety
There are tens of thousands of companies in California that have to follow the state’s strict labor laws. Otherwise, they could get sued by any one of their employees who gets sick or injured on the job. The state’s labor laws and workers’ compensation programs protect both employers and employees.