Indoor Heat Illness Bill Goes to Governor; IIPP Bill Killed

Cal OSHA Reporter, 2 September 2016

The legislature in its so-called infinite wisdom has acted on two more safety bills.  One was killed and one sent to the governor for signature or veto.  Both are considered by some to be job killer bills and more encouragement for employers to leave California.

The one that passed will, if not vetoed, require Cal/OSHA to begin work on a standard covering indoor workers who could be subject to heat illness.  AB 1167 now awaits a decision by Gov. Jerry Brown, and the bill’s opponents are asking him for a veto.

‘We were not even able to slow it down,’ says a source in the Capitol who is opposed to the measure… AB 2895, which would have expanded requirements for employers about making their IIPPs available, did not make it through the legislative process.   And since the current legislative session is ending, it cannot be a two-year bill.   It could be reintroduced next year, but its author, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez, will no longer be the chair of the Labor and Employment Committee.

It would have required employers to keep a complete, updated copy of their program at each worksite with at least three employees and make it available upon request.  Failure to do so promptly would have subjected employers to Cal/OSHA enforcement or injunctive relief.