07/31/2026
August is when heat illness claims spike in California construction — and when Cal/OSHA inspectors start showing up with a thermometer.
§3395 is specific. It isn’t “keep an eye on your crew.” It’s four numbers:
→ 1 quart of drinking water per worker, per hour
→ 80°F — shade must be available
→ 95°F — high-heat procedures kick in
→ 5 minutes — minimum paid cool-down rest, whenever a worker asks
The part that catches people out: the written plan. If an inspector asks for your Heat Illness Prevention Plan and you don’t have one on paper, the conversation is already going badly — regardless of how well you actually run the job.
A heat illness case is also a workers’ comp claim, and it lands on your X-Mod for three years. Prevention is cheaper than the premium.
Our clients can build a §3395-compliant HIPP in the client portal in a few minutes, free. Not a client? Reply or DM and I’ll point you to the Cal/OSHA resources either way — nobody should get hurt over paperwork.
— Izzy 🦎
HeatIllnessPrevention GeneralContractor
