California workplace safety board approves heat protections for indoor workers, excluding prisons

By DORANY PINEDA
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s workplace regulators passed rules that would protect indoor workers from extreme heat. The regulations would apply to workplaces such as warehouses, schools and kitchens. They would require cooling devices, access to water and cool break areas at certain temperature thresholds as well as monitoring for signs of heat illness. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health approved indoor heat regulations in March, but Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration blocked them over concerns about what the rule might cost to implement in prisons and other state entities. The revised rules would not apply to correctional facilities.