inside office building temperature regulations

Retaining measurement records for 12 months or until the next set of measurements is taken, whichever is later.Taking measurements when it is suspected that measurements may be 10 degrees or more above the latest set of measurements.Taking measurements during the time of greatest exposure.Keeping records of all measurements taken.

Identifying and evaluating all other environmental risk factors for heat illness.Measuring both temperature and heat index.Somewhat parallel to the outdoor regulation standard requirements for “high heat procedures,” the measures include assessment procedures such as: Once a workplace reaches temperatures or a heat index of 87 degrees F, or 82 degrees F and employees are wearing “clothing that restricts heat removal,” the standard requires additional assessment and control measures to be completed.Įmployers must measure heat index, but it doesn’t stop there. Worn without a full-body thermal or moisture barrier.Įxpanded Heat Illness Assessment Procedures.Worn in lieu of the employee’s street clothing and.Constructed only of knit or woven fibers and.There is an exception: “Clothing that restricts heat removal” does not include clothing with flame or arc-flash resistant properties demonstrated by the employer to be all of the following: (C) Designed to protect the wearer or the work process from contamination. (B) Designed to protect the wearer from a chemical, biological, physical, radiological, or “Clothing that restricts heat removal” means full-body clothing covering the arms, legs, and torso that is any of the following: The use of heat index numbers in the new standard could indicate a desire by California OSHA to include the same measurement requirement in the outdoor standard at some point in the future. If an indoor space tends to have temperatures or a heat index over 87 degrees F, or 82 degrees F with employees wearing what Cal OSHA calls “clothing that restricts heat removal,” and that same workplace experiences moderate to high levels of humidity, this standard may be more challenging to comply with than it first seems. Other than under anywhere the new standard references a temperature such as 82 degrees Fahrenheit (F), it also mentions heat index. index takes into account humidity and is found using the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit along with the percentage of relative humidity and plotting the heat index on the National Weather Service heat index chart. There are some differences between the new indoor proposed standard and the existing outdoor standard ( Title 8, 3395, Heat Illness Prevention in Outdoor Places of Employment), and employers may require a bit of adjustment when trying to comply with the new standard.įor example, the current outdoor standard focuses on degrees Fahrenheit only, while the new proposed indoor standard references both temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and heat index. While the new standard is not final, it may still be helpful to read the regulation wording to become familiar with what could be incorporated into a final standard in the near future. Additional research into heat illness incidents associated with indoor work between 20 caused a resurgence in interest in developing this new standard. The state’s outdoor heat illness regulations have been in emergency and then permanent form since 2005. California, Washington, Minnesota, and Oregon all have their own heat illness prevention regulations in place now, but the new California standard is meant to join the California OSHA outdoor work heat illness prevention regulations currently in force. What Are California’s Heat Illness Standards?Ĭalifornia OSHA is promulgating a separate indoor heat illness standard that has been in the works for several years. This article further examines California’s proposed standard, how it could affect employers, and how the standard is similar to the proposed Federal OSHA standard being promulgated. Adding allowances for what California OSHA terms “clothing that restricts heat removal”.Accounting for both weather-related heat and process-generated radiant heat sources.Including both indoor and outdoor regulations and control requirements.Relying more on heat index measurements and limits rather than plain temperature measurements.

Inside office building temperature regulations