“My employees all work inside my facility. However, someone recently mentioned that I need to offer a cool-down break. What is that?”
My HR Survival Tip
Whether your employees work inside your facility or outside, if the temperature goes over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you may be subject to California’s heat illness prevention law. Even if you were aware of this law previously, as of May 1st, 2015, there are new rules you need to know.
This law was designed to protect outside workers from heat illness. However, we both know that the inside of a warehouse or other facility may become quite hot if air conditioning isn’t available. If your employees work anywhere where the “ambient” temperature is over 80 degrees, you should play it safe and comply with this law by providing:
A 5-minute cool-down rest break as needed. There is currently no limit to the number of cool-down breaks an employee may take. Employees are not allowed to work during a cool-down break so don’t try to find them something else to do while on the break.
Shade (if outdoors) that is nearby with an area big enough to accommodate all the employees taking a break at that moment and so they aren’t in physical contact with each other. While any employees are in the shade, they must be monitored and asked if they are experiencing symptoms of heat illness and you must be prepared to provide appropriate first aid or emergency response measures. The shade must also be available for any employees remaining on the job site during their meal period.
Water in a sufficient amount for each employee to drink one quart for each hour of the shift. You either need to bring fresh, potable water or have it readily available at the work site so employees can drink one quart of water or more per hour.
Basic training on how to recognize heat illness so your employees and supervisors can recognize the symptoms. Heat illness includes heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat syncope and heat stroke.
When the temperature is over 95 degrees, you must take extra measures. Designate specific employees to be responsible for contacting emergency services if needed. You must also hold pre-shift (paid) meetings to review procedures and the importance of drinking water and cooling down when necessary. Agricultural employers must provide a mandatory 10-minute cool-down rest period every two hours when the temperature hits 95 degrees or more.
There are many factors that play into heat illness, such as a person’s age, degree of acclimatization, health, water consumption, alcohol consumption, caffeine consumption and use of prescription medications. Don’t take chances with your employees… take care of them instead!
Leave a Reply