Spring is the time for annual heat illness prevention training, before the weather really heats up.
California, Oregon, and Washington require training before employees will reasonably be expected to perform work that could expose them to heat illness. Annual retraining is only required in Oregon and Washington, but we recommend it in all locations where employees work in hot conditions.
Federal OSHA is also paying attention—on April 10, 2026, OSHA revamped its National Emphasis Program on Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards to focus on 55 target industries in general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture. Here are the common requirements for training and other aspects of heat illness prevention in the workplace:
- Train employees and supervisors to recognize hazards that cause heat illness, how to prevent or address the hazards, how to recognize heat illness symptoms, and how to respond if a coworker becomes ill.
- Ensure your existing written heat illness prevention plan addresses how to respond to heat-related emergencies. Make sure it’s compliant with your state’s current requirements, especially if you operate in multiple states.
- Provide fresh, cool water, and encourage employees to drink adequate amounts.
- Provide extra rest periods during high heat times, and enough shade for everyone during rest breaks and meal periods.
- Consider fans, misting stations, or other options for helping employees to cool down.
- Establish a system to acclimatize new or returning employees to warmer temperatures.
Tips: Retraining is also needed any time new hazards are introduced to the workplace. For questions about how to protect workers from heat illness, please contact your Vigilant safety professional. Also refer to the following list of heat illness prevention resources:
- Federal OSHA occupational heat exposure web page
- Industrial Commission of Arizona heat stress awareness web page and Arizona Dept. of Health Services outdoor worker toolkit
- Cal/OSHA heat illness prevention web page, heat illness e-tool, regulations for outdoor work, and regulations for indoor work.
- Oregon OSHA heat stress web page, regulations for general industry (both indoor and outdoor work), and regulations for agriculture (both indoor and outdoor work).
- Washington Dept. of Labor & Industries outdoor heat exposure publications, regulations for general industry (outdoor work only, at WAC 296-62-095 to 296-62-09560), and regulations for agriculture (outdoor work only, at WAC 296-307-097 to 296-307-09760).
If you’re a California, Oregon, or Washington member you can also review our Legal Guide, Heat Illness Prevention in the Workplace, for the specific requirements in those states.
Compliance is the baseline—a culture of safety is the goal. At Vigilant, we partner with manufacturing and agribusiness companies to provide dedicated safety services that do both. Ready to level up your safety strategy? Let’s chat!
