California is one of the only states with heat regulations to protect its workers. Thanks to the advocacy of impacted workers and the organizations that support them, an Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Standard went into effect in July 2024.
Heat is considered one of the deadliest climate-change driven hazards. In April 2022, Governor Newsom released Protecting Californians From Extreme Heat: A State Action Plan to Build Community Resilience. Continuing heat waves are projected to double or triple heat-related deaths within forty years.
The California Department of Corrections was granted an exception to the standard on the condition that a Corrections-specific standard be created. Advocacy efforts are currently underway to ensure that this, too, protects workers as intended, and is implemented as swiftly as possible.
Increasing temperatures lead to exacerbated risk of wildfires. Check out our page on wildfire smoke policy. Please reach out if you’d like to connect on climate change, heat or wildfire campaigns.
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