As climate change brings more frequent and destructive wildfires, California must be prepared to protect workers from the dangers of wildfire smoke on the job.
Our Wildfire Safety Policy Recommendations were developed in partnership with Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project (MICOP), California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation (CRLAF), Lideres Campesinas en California, and North Bay Jobs With Justice. They include policy proposals on related / linked issues such as workers in evacuation zones and in disaster recovery.
In 2018-2019, Worksafe successfully petitioned the Standards Board to take up emergency rule-making on this issue, in partnership with California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, the California Labor Federation, and the State Construction and Building Trades Council. The permanent standard became effective January 2021. We are working to ensure enforcement of the law and to determine best practices for implementation.
Worksafe is also engaged around other climate related work including workplace heat protections, and protections from the increasing prevalence of aerosol transmissible diseases.
Advocacy Updates
