Almond Alliance of California — Harvest is here and so is the heat! Heat illness is deadly so prevention education is critical for protecting your employees. Make heat safety part of your overall safety program.
Some essentials ALL employers should have are:
- Plan – Develop and implement an effective written heat illness prevention plan that includes emergency response procedures (Almond Alliance provides a template if requested).
- Training – Train all employees and supervisors on heat illness prevention (Almond Alliance provides pre-season trainings upon request).
- Water – Provide drinking water that is fresh, pure, suitably cool and free of charge so that each worker can drink at least 1 quart per hour, and encourage workers to do so.
- Shade – Provide shade when workers request it or when temperatures exceed 80 degrees. Encourage workers to take a cool-down rest in the shade for at least five minutes when they feel the need to do so to protect themselves from overheating. They should not wait until they feel sick to cool down.
Cal/OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention protocols include enforcement of heat regulations as well as multilingual outreach and training programs for California’s employers and workers.
Below are links to heat illness prevention online resources, materials and printable flyers to use in your workplace this season. If you have any questions, please contact staff@almondalliance.org. Keep your employees safe and hydrated!
For Employers:
- Heat Illness Prevention Training Materials, Click Here.
- Available in PowerPoint, Click Here.
- Heat Illness Prevention Enforcement Q&A, Click Here.
- Cal/OSHA Consultation Services Heat Illness Prevention etool, Click Here.
- Employer Sample Procedures for Heat Illness Prevention, Click Here.
- Available in Word, Click Here.
- Health effects of Heat posters: Agriculture, Click Here.
- Cal/OSHA Guidance on the New Requirements, Click Here.
For Workers:
- Pocket Guide: Protect Yourself from Heat Illness (English/Spanish), Click Here.
- Heat Safety Fact Sheet (English), Click Here.
- File a Health & Safety Complaint (English), Click Here.
- Additional Heat Illness Prevention Resources, Click Here.
Training and Education:
Materials available for order by email at heat@dir.ca.gov to order copies of the below materials at no cost. (99 Calor campaign page) Material is also available for download, including Heat Illness Prevention videos and discussion guides in multiple languages.
- Pocket Guide (English/Spanish), Click Here.
- Illustrated Fact Sheets English | Spanish
- Illustrated Poster English | Spanish
- Community Training Guide English | Spanish
- Supervisor’s Daily Checklist for the Worksite English | Spanish
Additional Heat Illness Links:
- FedOSHA Quick Card: Protecting Workers from Heat Stress, Click Here.
- National Weather Service: California Information, Click Here.
- Centers for Disease Control: Heat Stress, Click Here.
- Centers for Disease Control: Tips for Preventing Heat Related Illness, Click Here.
Note: This document is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Almond Alliance of California does not advise on the application of law to an individual’s or company’s specific circumstances. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a lawyer if you want professional assurance that our information, and your interpretation of it, is appropriate to your particular situation.
