California Workplace Safety Board Approves Heat Protections for Indoor Workers, Excluding Prisons

At 82 degrees, workers would have a right to water, breaks, and cooling-off areas. Employers will also have to monitor for signs of heat illness.

Workers fill food orders at a Chipotle restaurant in San Rafael, Calif., on April 1, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—A state worker safety board June 20 approved standards that would require employers to protect workers from indoor heat, but would exempt state correctional facilities.

The board of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health first passed indoor heat rules in March. However, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration blocked them over concerns about costs to prisons and other state entities.