Cal/OSHA chief Len Welsh told Inside OSHA Online that just-issued updates to the state's heat safety regulations should be considered in the big picture of getting eventual OSHA approval of the state plan, noting that no federal standard exists for comparison that specifically addresses heat safety. The update to the rules comes as Cal/OSHA is struggling to persuade the federal agency that the state is “at least as effective” as OSHA in preventing worker injuries and illnesses, a condition for formal approval of the state plan, even though Cal/OSHA's health and safety plan doesn't mirror OSHA'
December 30, 2025