Hazardous Environment Heat Protection Law

The state of California will implement standards to provide relief from high temperatures to indoor workers, such as kitchens, warehouses and schools, because there is no air conditioning, it is not known if school buses will be part of these regulations.

Paula Andalo, Ethnic Media Editor for the Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, comments on the details of the standards, which are essential because in the U.S. there are about 2,300 deaths per year due to heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She comments that the rule would be extended to schools, which in many cases do not have air conditioning and have summer activities. Let’s listen to Paula Andalo.

Paula Andalo, Editor, Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, reveals that many times, even if air conditioning is available, its use is not specified because it is related to electricity costs.

In addition, Paula Andalo, Editor, Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, warns of the impact of extreme heat on all people, not just the vulnerable population.

Consider that FEMA also fails to declare heat stress a disaster, as Paula Andalo, argues that heat stress does have to do with outdated infrastructure.

Paula Andalo, Editor, Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, reminds us that we are seeing the effects of climate change.

Paula Andalo assures that this regulation was made more than 4 years ago and has not changed and is still awaiting approval, so Paula Andalo says that it should not wait until the end of the summer to be approved, as it is a risk for people who are exposed to extreme temperatures that can affect their health.

She insists that the approval should be accelerated since it would go into effect in the summer when the high temperatures are over.

A state worker safety board in California has approved standards for indoor workers, but final approval from the state’s Office of Administrative Law is still pending.

This despacho is made possible in part by The California Endowment.