“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  [click to read more …]