On Thursday the Division of Occupational Safety and Health of California, or Cal/OSHA, will vote on new guidelines to protect workers from extreme heat.
The new guidelines would require businesses in the state to provide workers relief through cooling stations, misters, and fans when the temperature inside exceeds 87 degrees and 82 degrees for people who work around furnaces.
The rules would also apply to schools in the state.
Fines for businesses that do not comply would range from $100 to $25,000.
If the new guidelines pass, it will go into effect this summer.
The feds are working on their own version of heat standards. CAL/OSHA said it would adjust its guidelines should they differ from what the federal government comes up with
The Weather Channel’s Ray Stagich told KNX News’ Karen Adams that heat-related deaths are more common than you think.
“Heat-related deaths [are] actually one of the leading causes of fatalities in the U.S. and on an annual basis,” he said.
Last year, there were 2,300 heat-related deaths in the U.S., according to an analysis by the Associated Press. The same analysis found there were 84 deaths in California.
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