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Sam Cahan, PE                          

Heat Illness Prevention

In August 2005 the Occupational Safety and Health Standard Board (OSHSB) is proposing the emergency adoption of Title 8 Standard, “Heat Illness Prevention.”

By definition “heat illness” means a group of serious medical conditions resulting from the body’s inability to cope with a particular heat load, and includes heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat syncope and heat stroke.

The proposal will include factors such as, environmental risk, personal risk, recovery period, provision of water, access to shade, as well as training in related topics.

No later than January 1, 2006, the OSHSB will review the feasibility of providing shade for all rest periods at outdoor places of employment.

The proposed section will apply to all outdoor places of employment at those times when the defined environmental risk factors for heat illness are present.

Note: Questions regarding the above can be addressed to
OSHSB contact Bernie Osburn (916) 274-5721