Protecting Outdoor Workers from Wildfire Smoke

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  California. Department of Public Health
• Description:
  A new Cal/OSHA emergency regulation, effective July 29, 2019, requires that when the Air Quality Index* (*This refers to the Air Quality Index (AQI) for particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller (PM2.5) is 151 or higher due to wildfire smoke, employers must: Allow workers to work indoors in effectively filtered buildings when feasible, or Relocate workers to areas with better air quality, or Provide outdoor workers with approved respirators, such as N95 respirators. Employers must also check air quality at outdoor work sites at the start of each shift when they anticipate workers may be exposed to smoke. The resources listed below offer details on the new regulation as well as information that can be used for worker trainings on the harmful effects of wildfire smoke and safe and effective use of respirators. Description provided by NIOSH
• Subjects:
  • Air Pollution
  • Fires
  • Occupational Exposure
  • Occupational Health
  • Safety
  • Staff Development
  • Wildfires
• Keywords:
  • Occupational exposure
  • Occupational health
  • Wildfires
  • Smoke inhalation
  • Air quality
  • Air quality monitoring
  • Training
  • Outdoor workers
• Series:
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation Reports (FACE)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059583
• Citation:
  Occupational Health Watch: September 2019. Richmond, CA: California Department of Public Health, 2019 Sep; :1-2
• Email:
  OHW@cdph.ca.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Performing Organization:
  Public Health Institute
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Occupational Health Watch
• End Date:
  20260630
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228984/cdc_228984_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 105.00 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5385f37e436e05e466d7a86e91ce9f628bd351e3836e17df338e7cd03fbe5856cc2db0da3ab61948c0ac2fec2560d32ee8a5b60fa27bb6e37019c22c1c7f9d0b