California Closer to Mandating Indoor Heat Exposure Limits

California workplace safety regulators are proposing to turn down the thermostat for when employers must protect workers from indoor heat hazards.

The latest version of the state’s proposed indoor heat rule, released Jan. 30, lowers the trigger temperature for when most employers must take protective actions to 87 degrees inside buildings, a 3-degree decrease from an earlier version of the proposal. The 87-degree mandate applies to the air temperature and heat index.

A cooler trigger reading, 82 degrees, applies to employees who have to wear clothing that retains heat or work in jobs that takes them close to heat ...