Quick Hits
- On August 14, 2026, Cal/OSHA released an updated draft of its heat illness regulations that aligns both the indoor and outdoor regulations to be more consistent in language and terminology.
- The draft outdoor regulation removes the exception which allowed industries other than agriculture, construction, landscaping, oil and gas extraction, and some transportation companies to be exempt from the high-heat procedures.
- The deadline for submitting comments is September 21, 2026.
The draft adds rhabdomyolysis to the list of medical conditions that are identified as “heat illness.” The draft notes that signs or symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include “[m]uscle cramps/pain; abnormally dark (tea or cola colored) urine; muscle weakness; exercise intolerance; [and] death”; and that rhabdomyolysis “can be asymptomatic.”
In the draft, the definition of “heat wave” moved in the outdoor heat regulation to make it consistent with the indoor regulation.
Personal risk factors for heat illness had added factors of “supplements and recreational drugs” that affect the body’s water retention or other physiological responses to heat.
Signs and symptoms of heat illness were added with expansive language.
The draft regulations have other formatting and structure adjustments intended to create consistency between the indoor and outdoor heat regulations.
Employers, particularly those in industries not currently subject to the high-heat procedures, may want to review the draft closely and submit comments to https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/doshreg/heat-illness/ by the September 21, 2026, deadline.
Ogletree Deakins’ California offices and Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group will continue to monitor this rulemaking and the comments submitted in order to fully evaluate the likely impact on California employers. Updates will be posted on the California and Workplace Safety and Health blogs.
In addition, the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group offers a California Indoor Heat Illness Prevention Plan Template Package to help employers meet their compliance requirements. The package includes a model written plan, a training presentation, a hazard assessment form, an employee notice, and a stakeholder overview. If you are interested in purchasing this package, please contact the Ogletree Deakins attorney with whom you work for additional information.
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