Legal News

Heat illness preventions to be updated, ACLU still not satisfied

By Richard Binder

A day after the ACLU filed suit, the Department of Industrial Relations' Division of Occupational Safety and Health filed a proposal with the Cal/OSHA standards board to update California's first heat illness prevention regulations.

The action also follows the July 16 request by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to strengthen and improve the standards to protect outdoor workers from the hot summer sun.

John C. Duncan, the Department of Industrial Relations Director, said the new package will include a requirement for shade to be present at all times and a trigger for shade to be up when the temperature exceeds 85 degrees, as well as an allowance for workers to rest in the shade as they feel necessary to prevent themselves from overheating.

The ACLU says this is too little, too late.

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Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on August 03, 2009 (boomark / email).