Agricultural employee safety: heat-related illness.

(1) Existing law permits the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board within the Department of Industrial Relations to adopt occupational health and safety standards to protect the welfare of employees. The Division of Occupational Safety and Health enforces occupational safety and health standards and orders. Certain violations of these standards and orders are crimes. Existing regulations prescribe duties with respect to heat illness prevention in outdoor places of employment. This bill would prescribe specified duties on employers to reduce the risk of heat illness among agricultural employees, including the adopted heat illness prevention regulatory requirements. The bill would impose specified civil penalties, and create a private right of action, for violations of these requirements. The bill would impose a state-mandated local program because certain violations of the bill's requirements would be a crime under existing provisions of law. The bill would require the Director of Industrial Relations to provide an annual report to the Legislature regarding the enforcement of the requirements. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.