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Heat Stress Revisited and Confined Space Training for Wineries
June 4, 2007
Issue 23

TOPICS:
  1. Heat Stress Revisited
  2. Confined Space Training for Wineries

HEAT STRESS REVISITED

The summer season is almost here! But with record-breaking heat waves already occurring throughout the state, the danger of heat related illness and death is again upon us.

Cal/OSHA is already investigating a possible heat illness-related death of an orchard worker in the Central Valley. According to co-workers, the worker reported feeling ill after noon. He was escorted to a shaded area, provided with drinking water and left to rest. His condition worsened and he passed away at the scene.

Cal/OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention regulation was instituted as an emergency measure last year and is now a permanent regulation. It applies to outdoor work in all industries. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board is currently working on a similar regulation that will apply to indoor work.

Will the Central Valley employer be cited for violating Cal/OSHA's heat illness regulation?

How hot is too hot?

Because numerous factors of the work environment and personal health and habits determine an individual's response to heat, this is really an unanswerable question. To take out the guesswork, Cal/OSHA wrote the heat illness regulation to focus on the the employer's obligations without identifying specific triggers that make the regulation applicable. The regulation requires all employers with outdoor places of employment to:
  1. Provide water to their employees, at least one quart of water per hour for each employee.


  2. Provide employees access to shade that is either open to the air or provided with ventilation or cooling. Shade is defined by the regulation as blockage of direct sunlight and excludes those areas where the heat in the area of the shade defeats the purpose of the shade. For example, a car sitting in the sun will not be considered as providing adequate shade to a person inside unless the car is running with the air conditioning on.

  3. Teach employees on the following:
    1. Environmental and personal risk factors of heat illness;

    2. The Employer's procedures for complying with the heat illness prevention regulation;

    3. The importance of drinking water;

    4. The importance of acclimatization;

    5. The types, signs and symptoms of heat illness;

    6. The importance of immediately reporting the signs and symptoms of heat illness to a supervisor;

    7. The employer's procedures for responding to symptoms of heat illness as well as procedures for contacting emergency service providers and transporting employees for emergency services as necessary.

  4. Train supervising employees as above, on the heat illness regulation, and on procedures to follow if an employee exhibits symptoms consistent with possible heat illness.

  5. Develop a written program outlining the employer's heat illness response plan and other procedures required by the regulation.

So, back to our question: Will Cal/OSHA cite the Central Valley employer? The answer lies in how well he or she complied with the five steps above, both as to creating a plan and putting it into practice.

Finally, how hot is hot enough?

Cal/OSHA isn't saying that they will be watching their thermometers this summer. But the unofficial word, at least in Southern California, is that Compliance officers will begin sweeps of outdoor work areas when temperatures reach 105 degrees.

If you have questions about how to put together a heat illness prevention program and training course, please call us.


CONFINED SPACE TRAINING FOR WINERIES

We have been asked to conduct a seminar for winery operators on compliance with Cal/OSHA's confined space regulations in advance of this year's crush. The seminar will be held at our new offices in Healdsburg, most likely in July.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Cat Andre at cat@walterlaw.com. Further details will be announced as we learn how many attendees can be expected.

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